Thing is, we have a very diverse crowd on these forums. Old, young, differnt financial and working backgrounds, huge variety in jobs. It's interesting to see how these debates go...
On the topic of unions, they're both good and bad, just like anythign else. In theory they're great. They make sure people aren't treated unfairly by their superiors and make sure they get paid a living wage and so on. This would work awesome if people would understand that by being given this "protection", they're obligated to fulfill their side of the agreement. But, people are generally lazy. My workplace (thankfully not my job) is largely unionized. Because of the union, people get away with so much shit that they should be demoted or fired for. To me, that's unacceptable. Not only that, but people do a half-assed job and feel like they are owed something for their time (raises, promotions, etc.) when they have earned nothing of that.
The problem with any of these topics is they have good intentions, but human nature (in general) makes it not work. people are both lazy and want to take advantage of others. Without unions, you may get a shitty boss who will make you miserable and there's nothing you can do but quit and find another job. With unions, it empowers those who should have no power because they are simply leeches.
Edit: to clarify, these are general statements. I think the majority of the people are fairly honest, but they are quiet about it so you don't notice. There are always going to be a vocal minority that ruin the whole thing for everyone.
