I deal with a union and my employees and it's a fairly "benign" union. That said:

1. Unions cater to the lowest common denominator; all they care about is seniority and individual performance be damned.
2. There is a reason as to why union membership has declined from a high percentage in the 30s to less than 8% today
3. Their real motto is "pay me more so I can work less." And if you've ever been around a port and watched line handlers, it's patently obvious...

A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”