Unions have served their purpose in the past, but I don't think we're in danger of reverting to 19th century working conditions if the Unions disappear. Far from protecting the average worker, the unions have become nothing more than a legal wing of organized crime. My brother, a union electrician, tells me the horror stories from the union hall, where the well-connected cronies of the bosses are taken good care of while the average working stiff gets the crumbs. The cost of doing business in the city is almost double that of the sunurbs, mostly due to the unions (and the Lib/Dem fetish for taxing and regulating everything).
I don't begrudge a guild of professionals trying to get what they can for thier work, but the current setup is just a disgrace.
Unions have served their purpose in the past, but I don't think we're in danger of reverting to 19th century working conditions if the Unions disappear.
Except that in the past they did a good job of keeping illegals off work sites. With the demise of the unions in construction trades in many parts of the country well....