The US government basically chose to allow the mob to run the unions instead of the Communists, as was the case in most of Europe.
I’ve known engineers in Germany that aren’t union but speak highly of union workers. They only trust the work by union members. They informed me that to get into the union you must go through a type of apprenticeship, only after years do you get entry into the union. Those in the union are proud of their work and like to show they know what they’re doing.
Very German :) ...but an interesting difference.