Now they have laws that they have to follow. They can't have child labor. They can't have unsafe work places. The reason being is that the penalties for having either are so great, that it's not good business to take the risk.

You're right, unions did those things, but what have they done lately? I haven't seen a union make any huge advancements in the workplace lately. Let's see...the latest union things I've seen are NFL officials wanting more money. And before that it was the NFL players wanting more money. And right now its about the NHL players wanting more money. Do they want greater safety stuff too? Sure. But the sticking point is the money.

Is there the possibility of exploiting the worker? Sure, but that's the case anywhere. To *force* a company to provide wages that do not line up with what the market/business can support is crazy. Why? Because the company will eventually run in the red and then everyone is screwed. Besides which, the union will still shield the poor worker. I'm a supervisor of 7 different scientists. I actually would need 9 people to run my department in such a way that we would make huge quality and delivery improvements. But I only get 7, because that's all that I can afford per my budget.

And guess what...if just one of my 7 decides to not perform well (for any reason), I'm in a world of hurt. Not being a dick of a boss, I would help them out and do what I could. But if it just came down to not performing, they would be let go. Why? Because in not doing so, I put the rest of us at risk. I'd rather my job not get sent someplace else, and I'd rather have my 7 scientists have a job.

Unions are a thing of the past. They serve no modern purpose.

~Jeordam