Simply put, a union just refers to the formation of a formal group of employees for the purpose of collective bargaining. I.e., the workers feel like individua

Simply put, a union just refers to the formation of a formal group of employees for the purpose of collective bargaining. I.e., the workers feel like individually their attempts to negotiate are not working so they get together to discuss rules, compensation, safety conditions, whatever as a group. The questions you are asking likely have different answers for every union out there. The pros are collective bargaining. The cons are variable.