Before being pro/con union, you need to look at what kinds of employment-related things your union will protect and not think about just pay scales. It's easy to say "union employees are slackers because they know they can't be fired" but that is not necessarily true; they can't be fired without CAUSE, and much of the time, companies would rather keep slacking employees than go through the steps necessary (reviews, notification, setting up an improvement plan and following up on it, etc). Also, I agree that sometimes unions get "too big for their pants," so to speak, but overall I believe I, personally, am protected from employer greed and am better off being represented in areas like salary, raises, health care, retirement, etc.
I think at this point, having a union is to your benefit. Employers are trying to trim costs everywhere, and a particularly easy place to do this is in health insurance. A union will fight to hold on to your benefits. For example (and I know this is just one example): I work for University M, DH works for University H. University M is unionized (actually several unions, depending on the job-type) and University H has no unions at all. My contract at University M stipulates for annual 4% raises and we have outstanding health insurance; by participating in the wellness program (one phone call a year with a coach), my premiums for 2 adults are $270 a month with a $250/$500 deductible and $1500/$3000 OOP annually. Most office visits, specialist visits, labs/xrays, etc have a $15-$40 copay, etc. My union fought hard to keep my costs to a minimum. At University H, mid-level coverage would be $620 a month, deductible is $6500/$13000, OOP $13000/$20000, and most services are deductible + 20% to 40%. Every year University H brags about how they have kept premium increase within 2% of the prior year, but that deductible gets higher and higher. University H gets away with this because there is nobody working and negotiating for the employees; the University sets raises, health care costs, etc., to protect THEIR bottom line. OR let's look at retirement. University H will match employee contributions up to 2.2% of what the employee puts into retirement. It used to be more (when DH started there 15 years ago, they matched contributions up to 5%). At University M, as long as I contribute more than 1% of my salary to my retirement, they will contribute 10% of my salary (not of my contribution, but of my salary). Once again, my union holds firm on this. It might not increase every year, but it won't decrease... and if it does, it won't happen unless (a) membership approves this and (b) there is something better in return.
I also worked as a parapro in a public school system for 10 years. I made crap (topped out at $21K) but the union made sure that ed techs were eligible for the pension system. It's not a lot, but I am happy for that $350 check every month; it covers car insurance, cell phones, and electricity for this family of 4.
Anyhow... that is my experience. Look closely at what the unions protect, don't just think about salary levels. Most unions let you opt in/opt out. If you don't join, you still have to pay something, usually, as you are benefiting from the work that the union negotiates (salary, benefits, etc). The trade off is that if you DO end up in a dispute with the employer, the union is not beholden to represent you. Sometimes it's really worth it to know that you will have someone on your side who is versed in labor law, if you have to go up against the employers to save your job, get equal pay, protect yourself from unfair practices. etc.
