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As a "big, bad anti-union person", there's one perspective that I wish actual private sector union employees would consider.

I wonder why union members continue to belong to and support their unions when the union Presidents and leadership are such a closed, set group, that takes control of a union and stays in power literally for decades.

If a union elected new leadership from amongst the rank and file say every 2 to 4 years, and a member could only be elected once, including not being able to hold any other elected office, it would seem like the union would stand at least a better chance of truly representing the members.

Why do members just go along with the "powers that be" ? Why don't they break away and form their own real union which had no alterior motive of political power ? Unions consistently point one employee at others - just like this email does - implying that the higher pay of "other" workers is unfair. Seems to me that people should easily understand that it is wise to be wary of someone who is always chiding them to covet what someone else has, to be jealous of it and suggesting they obtained it unfairly without referring to specific cases.

While I don't think unions work towards positive ends for their members or the rest of us, I certainly see how many corporations would pay employees 10 cents an hour if they thought they could, so I understand the forces that wind up causing employees to want to "band together" and stand up to the boss. In today's world, however, where it is much easier than 100 years ago to change jobs, and if necessary, residences or even careers, the smartest approach seems to be to keep changing until one is happy, rather than trying to wring a raise out of the clammy old hands of "Mr. Potter".

If a union elected new leadership from amongst the rank and file say every 2 to 4 years, and a member could only be elected once, including not being able to hold any other elected office, it would seem like the union would stand at least a better chance of truly representing the members.

You make some excellent points , and I can only speak for myself here and the way I understand the IBEW. The International officers are not elected by the rank and file membership, they are selected by the district heads. There is a push going on among some of the membership for one man one vote for the office of I.O. president.

In fairness, the private sector construction unions are not like the public sector unions. A lot of the membership don't even realize this. We have no guaranteed benefits and we only get paid when we work. You'd be surprised how many of the folks I work with believe that the government works the same way.

Anyway I guess I have a different perspective since I didn't come up through the union ranks but worked for many years in non-union shops. I only joined later, so the way I see it, any benefits we get are not a right but a privilege that can be taken away when business conditions change.