[bert]

....Can somebody explain that one?.....

Of Course.... having destroyed the steel industry there were no more steel workers so the bosses dredged up any ignoratti they could con into paying dues.

[MSU]

You're missing a point. It's not that they con them into paying dues, they force them. Here's how it works. (1) The union threatens vandalism, boycotts or whatever against the company unless they sign a collective bargaining agreement. (2) The company agrees, because they can't afford the losses. (3) The first thing the union negotiates in the contract is a union shop or agency shop. (4) The employees are forced to pay dues to keep their jobs. (5) The union thereafter ignores the worker's interests, except that the union officers try to look like they care enough to get reelected to their union jobs, all of which are overpaid.