U.S. government mandates Unions for American workers?

Question

Why would anyone want to be in a (labor) union?
It seems to me a genuine need for a union implies a conflict of interest between employer and employee. Personally I would rather just find a better job.
The government however, seems to believe an employer is free to treat its employees any way it chooses and if the company experiences retention / staffing problems, the government will ship in workers from other nations or will provide incentives for the company to shift the work to another nation entirely.

tmess2, thanks for a well thought out informed answer, I have also wondered if 'money' has been exaggerated as a concept...notes of market merit, we trade products and services, creating a unified market by using money instead of straight barter and trade...aren't we (America) losing productivity to a ledger chase?

Answer 1

The conflict is between the owners of the company and the employees.

Generally speaking, from an economists point of view, there are three major inputs into a product -- capital (for purchasing equipment, a place of business, and initial supplies), labor, and raw materials. In this country, we allow the owners of capital to pool together and work as a unit to maximize the payment for capital. The primary forms that we use for this are the "corporation" and the "partnership." The argument for a union is that it allows workers to pool the labor component together.

Just as being able to pool capital together allows the owners of capital to get a better return on their investment, being able to pool labor together allows the employees to get a better return on the labor component.

Bottom line is that there is only so much money to go around after the payments for the raw material. The owners want to keep as much of it for themselves as they can and the workers want to keep as much of for themselves as they can. Labor unions put workers on an equal bargaining plane with the stockholders.

Answer 2

It's not a mandate. People had traditionally been for unions for job security and better working conditions or wages. Unions have turned their backs on Americans in favor of Illegal Aleins. Right To Work States are no better when it comes down to work, pay or environment.