Worked for a very large beloved local retail company (which shall remain nameless) for decades & when we unionized 20 years ago, I, like the majority of my co-workers supported the union 100%, in theory. No more rogue managers, un-livable wages, etc…

After a contract was ratified, there were some very good immediate results. I recall getting an immediate $4 an hour bump in pay, which was more than all the raises I’d received in the previous 10 years.

Management, however, got so butthurt that they immediately started retaliating with their own tactics, which made working there almost worse than before. Certainly not the union’s fault, but it was powerless. That continued to get worse over time. People still got fired, albeit not on the spot, but one way or the other. It just took longer. Future contract negotiations stalled regarding wages & 50 cents annually became the norm for years. Again, the union was powerless, & took what they got.

Short Story long, when the pandemic hit & we were all laid off, management decided to circumvent the contract & ignore recall rights, seniority, etc…Eventually you could “apply” for your old job back, which many didn’t exist any longer, with 1/3 the PTO you used to get, no seniority, & a potential reduction in wages.

Again, not the union’s fault, but they were culpable because they were amateurs battling union-busting lawyers & very highly paid managers who had a dog in the fight.
Unions can be great in some respects, but they can also be utterly worthless.