I think unions did serve an important function at one time, but today they are like a rent controlled apartment. Great if you luck into one, but no great help to the rest of us who have to carry the redistributed load.
There's some truth to that, of course. When unions were in their hayday, unions and union members could be awfully arrogant and selfish, that IS true.
However as the average income of American workers goes down, which is, in some part, thanks to this nation's open war on unionism, this nation will go down with those declining incomes.
Unions can run amuck, just like capital can run amuck.
In both cases it is the people and nation which suffer.
When there's some balance in power, when unions and management understand that it is in both their best interests to find compromise and some balance in sharing the profits, this nation does best.
Sadly, thanks to FREE TRADE, that balance is now so out of Kilter, I seriously doubt this nation will every gain be wha it was during my childhood and early years.
Some other nation, China, p[erhaps, will become the dominant economic power.
And as it does, expect to see that nation share the wealth with its own people.
Because when that wealth is not shared in some reasonable way, that economy won't last long.