The song says there is power in a union, but Canadians seem mixed on whether they are too powerful or whether unionization is positive for the Canadian economy.
Angus Reid surveyed 2,023 Canadians between August 25 and August 29 to get their impressions on the positives and the pitfalls of union membership ahead of Labour Day.
It found that 62 per cent of public sector workers are satisfied with their membership in a union, while 63 per cent of private sector employees can say the same.
Not everyone is happy. Thirty-six per cent of women say they didn't feel supported when they approached a union representative with a workplace problem, and 30 per cent of men felt unsupported.
Overall, 39 per cent of respondents don't believe they get what they pay for in union dues.
When it comes to their impact over the past decade, 35 per cent of Canadians overall think unions are more powerful than they were ten years ago, and 25 per cent believe that influence has decreased.
The numbers are slightly different among union members. Just shy of three out of ten said influence has increased, while the same number think it's gone down.
Are unions too powerful? Almost four out of ten think so. Another 20 per cent said they are too weak.
This past year has seen some high-profile strikes, including the largest in Canadian history when federal workers walked off the job. However, almost half of those who belong to a union believe workers' rights supersede any financial risk being on the picket line may pose.
About 38 per cent think unions have a positive impact on the Canadian economy, while 32 per cent believe it's negative.
As for the impact on Canadians in general, 43 per cent say that's been positive, and 32 per cent think it hasn't been much help at all.