I strongly agreed, until I started seeing things like my company 'laying off' a few hundred people and then that afternoon telling everyone left "we're hiring!"

I strongly agreed, until I started seeing things like my company 'laying off' a few hundred people and then that afternoon telling everyone left "we're hiring!" Or my favorite "this office is no longer able to host this job function, we really want to keep you but you have to move to this higher cost of living area within 90 days - sorry, we can't make compensation adjustments at this time - or we'll have to let you go." Or, seeing someone paid vastly more or less than I am for the same work; if you think a peer is doing good work and they are paid a lot less than you are, that's not you whining about not making enough money. It's absolutely true that there are people who toe the line with respect to doing the minimum they can get away with and keep their job. I've seen it, and I'm sure other people have seen it. It's absolutely true that (in the US at least) union leadership is not immune to leaders who think leadership is about being in charge of others or building a fiefdom. I don't think these negatives are exclusive to unions, though, and I think it's a bit dangerous to let businesses convince you that they are.