My company won’t allow us to disband our useless unions (RTW state). They use the union as an auxilliary HR dept because they don’t want to negotiate contracts with individuals.
Unions are an artifact from another time. They served their purpose, but the new economy should have employees banding together to buy controlling interest in their company rather than fighting the shareholders in battles the employees can never win. Its just stupid to fight the company as an adversary when you could be buying it.
ESOPs have been a mixed bag. The real key is to make sure the decision-making process is clear. Someone has to have vision in a changing world.
But all employees should be striving for higher equity in their companies.