I've never been in a union, but I have 2 strong impressions of them from friends.
One friend was an electrician, he enjoyed working for a union because it gave him extra freedoms in his work.
The second friends father worked in management for a mine that used union labor. They went through an ugly labor strike where their windows were shot out of their house and their lives felt threatened.
I'm of mixed opinion, but the second scenario weighs heavily.
That certainly sucks, and I'm absolutely against violence in strikes. Of any kind.
But have you considered that perhaps without the union, that strike would have been even worse? Those workers likely decided to do those things on their own, not with union involvement. If they'd been striking without a union to rein them in, things might have been worse.
Of course, it's possible there would have been other problems, especially for the non-union workers.
I'm fairly anti-union, but there are definitely times when I see them as a necessity. My working conditions are not such that I think a union is necessary or even desirable, but mine workers are one situation where I think that unions do their jobs.
One friend was an electrician, he enjoyed working for a union because it gave him extra freedoms in his work.
The second friends father worked in management for a mine that used union labor. They went through an ugly labor strike where their windows were shot out of their house and their lives felt threatened.
I'm of mixed opinion, but the second scenario weighs heavily.