[komali2]

Japan and the EU, and to a lesser extent, Korea, have actual social safety nets and their unions have the protection and support of the State.

In the USA the Union might be the only reason a certain profession has a healthcare plan at all. The relationship is so combative, unions basically have to adopt a "fuck you I'll get mine" attitude or they're passing things over the bargaining table for nothing in return.

Americans got the labor market they deserve: a transactional one.

[orwin]

To add a complementary point: Unions here are 'global', i.e while you have some sector-specific unions (police, farmers), most unions are 'piloted' by a central bureau, that can't actually force a strike or prevent one, but can add guidelines for strikes, present a plan, decide to organise sympathy strikes or not, decide on compensating striking workers on some specific strike to make it last longer: a postal strike limited to the single city I lived in pre-COVID lasted 6 weeks and you had white collar workers, sometimes in business suit, sometimes dressed like me (probably usually working in IT) doing the mail distribution. It only lasted 6 weeks because the central union decided to use their 'strike comp' budget on this topic that specific year.

And unions make you vote a lot. Once every year for my representative, plus almost every time a sympathy strike can be organised.