Poll finds 66% approval for allowing teachers to vote on unions

Survey Shows 66 Percent of Likely Oklahoma Voters Agree with Allowing Teachers to Vote on Unions

OKLAHOMA CITY—The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) today released findings from a survey indicating that 66 percent of likely Oklahoma voters agree that teachers should be allowed to vote on union representation.

“Only 15 percent of respondents disagreed with allowing teachers to vote on unions, compared to the 66 percent that agreed with allowing teachers to vote on unions,” OCPA president Jonathan Small said. “In order to support teachers and help the most vulnerable, especially students, we must empower teachers so that they can control their destiny. Teacher union recertification will help unions place greater focus on the needs of students, teachers, and the classroom.”

Respondents were asked the following question: “Do you agree that Oklahoma school employees who are represented by a labor union should be allowed to vote every four years to decide whether they want to be represented by that union?”

In response, 45 percent said they strongly agreed and 21 percent said they somewhat agreed. In contrast, only 9 percent strongly disagreed and only 6 percent somewhat disagreed. Seventeen percent were unsure or had no opinion.

Along party lines, the question was equally popular with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—67 percent either somewhat or strongly agreed with allowing teachers to vote on union representation.

“Oklahoma teachers need to be freed from old, out-of-date systems—like the state law that gives unions the power to claim to represent teachers, whether teachers want that representation or not,” Small said. “Union executives shouldn't fear more accountability and democracy, so long as they truly represent the interests of teachers.”

The survey was conducted by the firm Cor Strategies and commissioned by OCPA. The survey was conducted from Monday, April 30, through Wednesday, May 2, with a sample group of 500 likely Oklahoma voters. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.38 percent. The poll methodology can be found here.