1 . Hence why I referred to a different kind of unionism which has workers at its heart . This is precisely why I clarified my comment to say that the current state of unions is pretty dismal . Moreover , you ' re not even looking at the fact that unions are there for much more than just getting more money like ensuring workplace safety is up to par , or building mutual retirementinjury funds , fighting against massive layoffs or delocalization , etc . Your argument parrots the way the media and the companies themselves portray the nature of unions , and I find that a little disingenuous and lacking in critical thinking . 2 . I didn ' t imply that bosses are out to fire people , but that their workforce is expendable when their profits reduce . I mean , you talk business sense , which often means making cuts where you can in order to ensure the continuation of your enterprise . That can be anything from less work hours to paycuts and to layoffs . I think protecting oneself and coworkers against possibly unjust costcutting measures is totally normal , even if a lot of the time things are going well . You don ' t get life insurance after you die , right ? It ' s the same kind of thing here you collectively organize in order to prevent against potential future abuses . 3 . I thought I had established the subject as workers , but I may have slipped a bit . In any case , I am a worker and I used we to refer to the fact that the working rankandfile is the first to go when profits go down . This is nothing new or revolutionary , just a fact of the society and economy we live in . 4 . So you ' re implying that it ' s a good thing that people are just expendable labor ? You think people shouldn ' t be allowed to have good wages , job security , and a solid social net , since it makes things expensive ? That ' s some pretty regressive and antisocial thinking right there . Take a second and look at all the good that union fights have done for our society today weekends , the 8 hour day , safety standards , workman ' s comp , paid leave , overtime pay , and more . You ' re asserting that we should basically have no protection at all , because it makes things cheaper and creates more business . But then what , how do workers protect these past gains ? How do they make sure they don ' t get unjustly fired ? How do they fight against wage theft which is surprisingly common in tertiary industries ? Wouldn ' t it be cheaper for companies to not pay overtime ? Cheaper to fire pregnant women or sick workers than pay leave ? I could go on and on , but my argument is clear enough as it is . I maintain that collective organization acts as a fundamental guarantee of workers ' gains , rights and future wellbeing . 5 . We don ' t get paid at all for union duties . It ' s all voluntary . Also , our dues are paid directly from members to the union . Nothing goes through the company or any other organization but our own . EDIT Words can be hard .