Nurses Top Gallup’s Honesty, Ethics Poll
Who do you trust? When it comes to honesty and ethics, most of us trust nurses, according to the annual Gallup poll on how people view various professions. The survey found that 84 percent rate nurses “very high” or “high” on honesty and ethical standards. That’s the 12th time in 13 years nurses have been ranked first.
Karen Higgins, RN, co-president of National Nurses United (NNU), says:
We hold that trust as a sacred bond with our patients and our communities.
At the bottom of the scale, with the most votes in the “very low” or “low” category in honesty and ethics? Lobbyists (62 percent) and members of Congress (64 percent). No shock there.
Click here for the full poll.
Assault on Workers Backfiring as Voters Recognize Need For Unions
The assault on the middle class and working people by some Republican governors and state legislatures has generated a backlash among voters, who recognize the need for a counter-balance against powerful corporations and the politicians who do their bidding.
In recent Gallup/USA Today and New York Times/CBS polls, by ratios of about two to one, respondents say public employees should not lose their rights to join a union. A slightly smaller majority didn’t want government employees to suffer cuts in wages or benefits. The latest Gallup poll also shows that 48 percent of Americans agree more with unions than with governors (39 percent) when it comes to cutting state budgets and collective bargaining.
Poll: Public Opposes Taking Away Freedom to Bargain
A new poll shows the public strongly opposes laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employees to address budgets. Some 61 percent of the public say they would oppose a law in their state similar to one being considered in Wisconsin, compared with 33 percent who would favor such a law, according to poll out today by USA Today/Gallup.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, widely perceived to be on the verge of attacking the rights of public employees to bargain for middle-class jobs, already figured that out. Scott said today he would not consider taking away bargaining rights from public employees. Instead, Scott said in an interview:
as long as the discussion is honest about what benefits employees are getting, he has no objection to public employees being members of unions.
Maybe Wisconsin workers had something to do with his opinion?
Gallup: America Still Strongly Supports Unions
Despite the best efforts of corporate-backed anti-union groups, the Bush White House and anti-worker politicians demonizing unions on the campaign trail, most Americans continue to approve of unions, as they have for the past seven decades.
The latest update from Gallup on union support shows 59 percent of those surveyed back unions, while 29 percent disapprove of them. According to Gallup:
Americans have generally held a favorable view of unions for decades—with no less than 55 percent of Americans saying they approve of labor unions in Gallup polls conducted from 1936 to 2008.
