Americans’ interest in unions is on the rise. A recent Gallup poll revealed that U.S. approval of labor unions is the highest it’s been since 1964.
Opponents of unions say they impact worker incentivization. With the continued talk of ‘quiet quitting,’ or workers choosing to do just the bare minimum, ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,000 union workers to understand their level of engagement and attitude towards their employer.
Key findings include:
- 36% of union workers are ‘quiet quitting,’ while 7% fail to meet expectations
- 38% of union ‘quiet quitters’ say going above and beyond hurts co-workers
- 86% of union workers think co-workers don’t exceed expectations because of perceived job security; however, in reality, vast majority fear losing their jobs
- 96% of union works value membership
- 89% of union workers are job searching
36% of union workers are ‘quiet quitting’
More than one-third of union workers say they only do what’s required of them at work. Six percent do less than what’s required of them, while 57% do more than what’s required of them.
‘Quiet quitters’ don’t want to hurt co-workers by working too hard
The plurality (63%) of union workers who are ‘quiet quitting’ say they’re ‘acting their wage,’ doing just what they are paid to do. Not more, not less.
Thirty-eight percent of union workers say they choose not to go above and beyond because doing so would hurt their co-workers.
On Reddit, one user explained that, “If I do the job of 2 people then I am basically taking away work from someone else. Someone didn’t get hired and missed out on paid work because I am doing their job and that’s a HUGE no no.”
Additional reasons union workers don’t go above and beyond at work include not believing it’s of any personal benefit (46%), it disrupts work-life balance (35%), and it negatively impacts mental health (27%).
For the union workers who choose not to even meet expectations. The top reasons are they don’t get paid enough (56%), better work-life balance (44%), and it’s of no personal benefit (42%).
9 in 10 union workers think co-workers don’t exceed expectations because of perceived job security
A large number of union workers (86%) say they believe some of their co-workers choose not to go above and beyond because they feel the union provides job security.
However, in reality the majority of those who just meet expectations or under perform are concerned about losing their job.
For those who do the bare minimum, 77% say they are ‘extremely’ (31%) or ‘somewhat’ (46%) fearful of losing their job because they just do what’s required of them.
For those who under perform, 93% say they are ‘extremely’ (60%) or ‘somewhat’ (33%) fearful of losing their job because they don’t do what’s required of them.
96% of union works say membership is important to them
Overall, the vast majority (96%) of union employees say union membership is ‘very important’ (68%) or ‘somewhat important’ (28%).
The majority also care about their work. Overall, 92% of union workers say they care ‘a lot’ (65%) or ‘ a little’ (29% about their work), and 89% have a desire to advance at the company.
89% of union workers are job searching
Despite the fact that two-thirds of union workers ‘like’ or ‘love’ the company they work for, many are looking for something new. In fact, 100% of those who ‘like’ or ‘love’ the company they work for, are job searching mostly because they want better pay and benefits. As ResumeBuilder.com recently found, switching jobs does lead to higher pay.
Overall, 89% of union workers are job searching.
Union workers who are looking for something new are doing so because they want better benefits (64%), more money (59%), and to work for an employer with more reasonable expectations (43%).
Hard working union employees, those who are going above and beyond, are more likely to be job searching. Of those who overachieve, 90% are job searching.
Methodology
All data found within this report derives from a survey commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online by survey platform Pollfish. In total, 1,000 Americans were surveyed.
Appropriate respondents were found via employment status demographic criteria and a screening question. To take the survey respondents had to answer that they are currently a union worker.
This survey was conducted on September 14, 2022. All respondents were asked to answer all questions truthfully and to the best of their abilities.
