Unions are unlike any other private organization in that the government has given them extraordinary powers. Once voted in, unions represent all workers in the bargaining unit, even those who oppose it and would rather negotiate on their own. Moreover, it is difficult to get accurate information on what unions do with their funds, so members have to take the word of union officials that they’re using money for their benefit. Often, much of the dues money is spent on political empire building and lavish offices and expense accounts for the union officials. And what if some individuals decide that they union costs more than it’s worth and want to get rid of it? They have to initiate a decertification process, which means going out on a limb to oppose the union, knowing that to do so often leads to retaliation.
With a captive market, it is no surprise that unions are often rife with corruption, as Robert Verbruggen details in this NRO piece.
