Despite Wisconsin, Americans Hate Unions More than Ever

As Wisconsin protesters continue battling with state Republicans to safeguard the collective bargaining rights of unionized workers, it turns out that most Americans have a pretty negative view of unions themselves.

According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, the favorability rating for unions is the lowest it's been in decades, with only 45 percent of Americans expressing a positive view of the organizations. By contrast, 47 percent of Americans report having a positive view of corporations. What's more, 43 percent of Americans say that when they hear of a dispute between business and labor, their first reaction is to side with business, while only 40 percent of respondents said they instinctually side with labor.

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Strangely, despite their negative views of unions, 51 percent of Americans also said they believe labor unions have improved the lives of all our nation's workers.

photo (cc) via Flickr user SEIU International