From the Washington Post:
All told, voters who live in union households made up 33 percent of recall voters — the most in any presidential or gubernatorial election dating back to 2004. Union members themselves, though, accounted for 17 percent of voters, while those living with a union member made up 15 percent.
That suggests that Democratic and labor efforts to turn out their supporters (which is labor’s calling card) were largely successful. The problem was that too many of those who came out sided with Walker, whose recall was initiated after a controversial gambit to strip public-sector unions of collective bargaining rights.
The fact that Walker still won nearly half of the vote from those close to union members suggests the backlash against him was limited to the Democratic base and those directly affected by his decision, while Walker was able to garner plenty of support from everybody else — including family of union members.
The divide within union households is significantly larger in Wisconsin’s recall election than in the 2008 presidential election. In that race, President Obama won 64 percent of union members and 57 percent of their non-member housemates. (Comparisons are not available for 2010, as the exit poll only asked about union household membership.)The lesson: polls must be parsed carefully. Early in the night, the increased turnout from union households was seen as a potential game-changer for Barrett.
By the end of the night, it became clear that Walker’s victory came in large part thanks to people who were close to the same union members who derided Walker’s governance.
Public sector union members for the most part are secure in their positions.
Private sector union members, especially those in the building trades, are not, and many of the long term trends are not in their favor. Many trades (like brickmason) have been declining over the last 20 years.
So other than some mythical union solidarity, what is the common interest of a private sector union member and a public sector union employee? The private sector person is under the same economic assault as a nonunionized worker, it’s just that some changes can only come at contract time, and most contracts result in concessions these days.
So I can see why this occurred.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/nyregion/union-donations-to-business-group-show-fracture-in-labor-movement.html?pagewanted=1&google_editors_picks=true&_r=1
Everybody knows who the shirkers are, including other union members. They want management to fire their asses.