[Thlom]

Interesting. I believe this would be illegal in my country (Norway). There's often only one union, but membership is entirely voluntary (and you don't have to pay fees if you are not a member). I think the only trade where membership levels is close to 100% is the elevator fitter union which is known to be a very strong and "militant" union.

But I think the main reason why we have higher unionization rate in Europe especially northern Europe/Scandinavia is that the relationship between labour and capital is almost legalized. There's rules in place that dictate when tariffs should be negotiated and how they are negotiated, what kind of leverage the parties can use and when they can use it. In other words, the relationship between labor unions and employer organizations are regulated. Seems to work quite good, but it is a product of history and can probably not be emulated directly somewhere else.