[Rick H]

Being the son of a former union organizer, my view may be somewhat skewed. However, this is my opinion:

There WAS a need for unions. The need came because too much "power" was concentrated in the hands of a relatively few, especially if the local area had only one or two major employers.

In many cases, unions are NOW completely at odds with what may be good for the workers as well as the employer. They have changed the balance of power in the employee/employer relationship to an extreme. Now, a relatively few union executives control much more power than the former business owners ever did. If unions were allowed to only represent employees of a single employer, instead of whole industries, perhaps a case could made for their continued existence. But, as has previously been posted, I do think they (unions) tend to perpetuate mediocrity.