All the years that I was a union member none of my money was spent on the political organizing that the unions did. That part is a choice that each member can make.
I have seen union shops where the union was a necessity and I have seen shops where the union was a limitation on the members. I was living in a "union town" where unions controlled the wages. Non-union shops proliferated but they paid similar wages - they just didn't have the same benefits that the union employees had. Prices always rose to the level of the income of the "average" worker so there were higher wages but the costs were also higher.
I think unions are a huge reason prices have climbed so high on everything!