Look at Hostess...the company was forced to close its doors and go bankrupt. The unions would NOT negotiate or budge enough on their demands to allow the company to continue. Rather than the unions negotiate...they stood their ground, forced the company into bankruptcy, and ALL jobs with them are now gone forever.
Whoa up there. Hostess went through 2 bankruptcies and 6 CEOs in the past decade. They went on an acquisition spree, bought a load of their own stock and went in debt to do it. Then they laid off half their people. The union agreed to big concessions at each step along the way. During the second bankruptcy, Hostess promised to modernize their plants. Instead, they lined the pockets of the CEOs and board. The union realized the company was being run into the ground and dug in.
Much of what the union rightly worked for in the early days...working conditions, hours..etc...were long ago accomplished and codified into employment laws.
Those laws can be changed.