This is ludicrous. For many of these unions, it means the union leadership is working on behalf of retirees — even if it is at the expense of current workers.
The United Steelworkers is a perfect example of this. I think they have something like eight retired members for every active worker. So when it comes time to negotiate labor agreements, the union is perfectly willing to have active workers getting paid peanuts with minimal benefits — as long as the big steel companies keep the pension funds solvent and the generous retirement benefits in place.
It’s a recipe for failure all around.
UAW & UMW have the same problem. They exist for the retiree not the worker now.
It’s almost analogous to SS’s problems!