[Razorfish]

To sum up my views I would say there are two sides to the coin.

Good
Unions are designed to protect those with trade skills, more specifically, trade skills that don't transfer over to other lines of work very well. If you have an occupation that is very specialized (examples: pipefitter or electrical lineman) it may be in your interest to be represented by a legal entity that can fight back when managment tries to push you under the carpet. For the most part I would say unions spring up in situations where workers feel that management does not care for them. This can be seen in large work environments with many people doing similar, highly specialized jobs. No one enjoys being seen simply as a cog in a machine by their boss so unions fight back for them.

Bad
Unions are notorious bullies. Why does it cost so much to make a movie? Unions have managed to get a strangle hold on all jobs related to movie production. You want to produce a movie you have no choice but to hire union help. As a producer you may feel its unwarranted to pay set extras $1300 a day but you don't have much choice when your whole studio is union. Related to union dues, I have seen many unions set up for the purpose of profit making (a few top managers making money off workers). If you can get 1000 workers to give you $10 a month then your making a good profit. Not all unions are scams but many are pretty closed lips about where union dues go.


Related to your job LabRat it sounds like you have no real need for a union. Your pay resembles that of a contracted employee. If there is work you get paid, if there is no work your out. The understanding between you and your employer is what brings up the question of wheater a union is needed or not. But for the record, I seriously think some people set up unions for the purpose of self profit and an excuse to bully more money out of their employers.