The reason "have a union" is high on the list of potential solutions to the need to improve both the work place and compensation comes down to having power, and

The reason "have a union" is high on the list of potential solutions to the need to improve both the work place and compensation comes down to having power, and that boils down to being able to present real costs and risks to management they need to respect. As for mistrust, not necessarily. The basic idea of a better balance of power can simply insure good people stay good. In the case of newly formed unions, the overwhelming majority already have mistrust and cause for it. Hate towards management is simple and works like auto mechanics do; namely, there are enough shoddy ones to give the good ones a challenge to maintain a good reputation. At lower wage scales, there is a lot of bad management. Your last statement varies considerably by industry. Let's just say making people replaceable or even making them feel replaceable or have the perception of being replaceable is very high on the priority list for a lot of management.