which implies that everyone in X industry would be paid the same, or based on seniority rather than merit. You're implying that being paid by seniority isn't a

which implies that everyone in X industry would be paid the same, or based on seniority rather than merit. You're implying that being paid by seniority isn't already the case for most of the tech industry. Last time I checked, most job adverts are looking for "X years of experience in Y". > Or at least, I haven’t seen particularly persuasive evidence that unions can do more than make everyone collectively equal The work culture in europe is largely based on standardized work contracts, enforced by unions. For example, the entire railway industry in Germany is collectively unionized (~40k members) and is holding negotiations right now, to renew the terms of these standardized contracts. The goal of a union is not to "make everyone equal", it is to enforce collective bargaining rights. This usually does lead to better employment conditions for everyone involved though.