>>>Well, that's the way it's supposed to work anyway.

A union acts in its own best interest. Even if this means its members will wind up starving in the streets. Since unions are no longer necessary to provide better working conditions, better hours, minimum wage, etc (now all provided by law) they are nothing more than collective bargaining instruments.

I don't know of a single independent worker that would "bargain" his way into the street. However, that is exactly what a union does in order to give itself "purpose".

>>>Certainly, more than the Human Resources Department does

This depends. Many HR heads are now outside the regular chain of command (some are actually hired by and report directly to the Board of Directors).

This is to make certain that certain "sensative" cases can be handled "around" upper management and the worker's rights protected.

The problem with creating any institution is that they are damn near impossible to get rid of once their purpose has been served. So it is with most unions.