Several years ago my stepbrother was a union representative at a manufacturing company in Oklahoma. He had worked there over twenty years and thought he would have his job until retirement. I remember he would tell us how much he earned by working overtime, weekends, holidays, and his birthdays. Sometimes it would be two or three times his normal hourly pay.
He was 100% union all the way, and every year he and his wife would attend union meetings all over the country, all expenses paid. Finally, his company could not afford to compete with foreign and non-union companies because of the cumulative costs of their products. It closed. Now he is working at another job for about a fourth of his previous salary.
He still won't admit the boosted salaries and generous benefits had anything to do with his plant's closure. If you ask him it was the fault of George W. Bush, the Chinese, the right-to-work states, etc.
