How many jobs (other than non productive management) have unions produced? Are unions any less corrupt than either government or "greedy corperations"? Such organizations as the Teamsters, Auto Workers and SEIU are all just as pure as the driven snow, right? And the IRS, the TSA and the ATF are just humble public servants patiently waiting to respectfully help us in our lives? The most feared words I can think of are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." Some corporations have ruthless people in them. Just like unions and government agencies. Unfortunately in all such groups some shit will float to the top. And all of it stinks. The founder of the ACLU was a communist whose sole goal was to convert the US into a communist state, not to help the downtrodden. (Communists LOVE the downtrodden. That's why they created so many of them!) Any company that treats their employees so badly that a union is necessary should be driven from the market BY THE MARKET! Many (if not most) of the worst cases of corporate employee abuse were enabled by government regulation that restricted competition in the first place. The problem with unrestrained capitalism is that it leads to fewer capitalists - the smart ones will use the power of government to establish either monopolies or restrict the entry into the market to protect those who are already there. With limited competition the remainders can plunder both the market and the source of whatever specific talent that can't go elsewhere. Profits aren't spoils of illegal gain. They are the rewards of hard, smart work. Profits are responsible for the gains in the retirement accounts of the unions that invest in those companies that are profitable (other than the money stolen by the union leadership for their own use.) Profits pay for the investment in new research and manufacturing capacity. Profits pay for the medical, education and other benefits that all employees, union and non-union alike, enjoy. There are industries that are able to enjoy high profits without producing anything of true worth. Credit Default Swaps, for example, were a contrived leverage of debt. But they wouldn't have been possible without the government encouraging (and requiring) the issuing of of loans to people who had no ability nor inclination to repay them. Government is a necessary evil. That's the conundrum. It is both necessary and without the limits of law, will become evil. Companies that make no profit are like employees who work for free. Both will stop what they are doing and find other activities to do. But government is the exercise of raw power. It will only stop when forced to.