The problem is that the employee-employer relationship is imbalanced: you only have one employer (in the vast majority of cases) but you have many employees. If

The problem is that the employee-employer relationship is imbalanced: you only have one employer (in the vast majority of cases) but you have many employees. If for example you are in an area with only one company in your field, you're very vulnerable: quitting would mean having to move yourself, your spouse, your children, sell your house etc... Some will use that to exploit you. Unions are a way to redress the imbalance. Think of union membership as a mutual defence agreement. You shouldn't evaluate the worthiness of unions based on the average HN situation of a young professional with relatively little debts/commitments working in a specialised and in-demand field. What I do find outrageous is the way certain unions start getting heavily involved in politics. They should stick to protecting employees from abusive action by specific companies.