When I worked in the auto industry I had the good fortune to work for a company that had both union and non-union plants. I was in management so i was able to manage either kind. We had one non-union plant and several union plants with 3 different contracts (one for skilled trades, one for press techs and one for weld techs).
The non-union plant always destroyed the others in productivity. Also, we were able to pay our good workers more because there was no contract forcing us to use an even pay scale. We had an entry level wage for everyone, then the good workers would get bigger bumps than the shitty workers. Also, we were able to assign the best people to certain jobs rather than go by seniority which helped us get the job done right, and quicker.
I had good workers in the union plants too, and strangely enough they hated the union. They made my job easier so I would give them whatever I could, but the union had my hands tied. I was allowed to pay them through lunch so they could get 1/2 hour OT, but that ain't shit. Some of these guys were worth double what they were making but I couldn't pay them. Meanwhile some fucknut that was there for 20 years and not worth a fuck would get all the OT and make everyone's life miserable.
In the non-union plant I would get an assignment from higher up and they'd just tell me "put a team together", and I could pick the best guys for the job. Not a chance in hell of doing something like that in the union shops.
The unions are there to protect the shitty workers, and hold back the good workers. By putting everyone on equal footing that's what happens. As a manager, I represented the interest of the company, which was to maximize profit. At no point would I have wanted to fuck over my good workers, and in fact I would do what I could to make their job easier. Why? Because taking care of your good workers maximizes profit for the company. Good workers don't need a union because management will do everything in their power to take care of those guys.
