Agree with the above, and I'm by no means a cheerleader, but the union/company relationship thing is, IMHO, a red herring. It's weirder and more obviously contentious here, but it's basically the same everywhere. They want to pay you less, you want to be paid more. At least here no one sees it any other way. And the Company's resolute insistence on pinching every penny often plays in to our hands. You will find zero "company men" on the line, here.