Unions had a place in the history of this nation, but the old union model is antiquated and led to major abuses - from workers drinking in bars while "on the clock" all the way to criminal behavior during contract negotiations. Unions consistently fight to save the worst of the worst from being fired and are corrupt to their core in their operations. Their bosses are mafia thugs and their members act like they're in a cult.

That having been said, there should be some method for semi-skilled and skilled workers to make sure that they earn enough to support families. It helps the overall economy, it helps keep the country stable and it makes life bearable for people working tough jobs. My suggestion would be giving stock to workers based on number of years worked (for publicly traded companies), and for smaller companies some sort of profit sharing incentive, and have dividends not taxed anymore at all. It would restore the primary reason for investing in companies - strong fundamentals - and encourage shareholder activism against abuses by management of pay, bonuses, etc. It would also help the workers feel that, if they helped the company thrive, they could keep taking money even in retirement.