Sometimes aren't the unions really more of the problem than the solution?

Don’t you think that some times union workers are the problem? Being a union person now I am happy for the rights and benefits my union fights for. There are some unions where I believe they go too far. I can see back in the day when there were few laws on the books to protect workers they needed to band together against the unscrupulous factory owners etc to have a decent wage, safe work environment, etc. Some business or industries today seem to have unions that cause more problems, waste, and inefficiencies.

Such as a union shop where a forklift operator has to snatch a pallet of whatever and take it to the loading dock, but it is behind a pallet of something else that is in the way. If the pallet that wasn’t moved was because part of the load spilled even if the forklift driver could clean it up himself, move the pallet to get the one he needs he can’t. Union rules would not allow him to touch the pallet with nothing but his forklift. It is someone else’s job to touch the stuff on the pallet and yet again some other person’s job to place the pallet in position to be loaded. Now a pallet is held up which holds up a truck, which makes it late getting to where it has to go causing problems for the workers there, all because the union won’t let the guy step off his forklift or get wrote up by the shop steward.

Another touchy part for me is pay. Some unions make very well and have great benefit packages. However, they seem to believe they do not get enough. If they can’t get X amount of paid sick days or amount of health coverage they strike. Many times they get most of their demands, but I wonder if that drives up the cost of what they make that I have to buy? If the company wants to reduce the price but they can’t cut the labor cost because the union will strike, will that savings come from the quality or durability of the item because they are using cheaper parts? And when it cost so much they feel they can’t sell it here in the US at that price and they decide to close up parts of their US operation and move it to nations where the labor is cheap were they really greedy or was a union hog tying their hands?

I am not against union I am a union man and some classes of workers, independent truckers, produce pickers, janitors, heath workers and many lower profile groups need someone to have their back, but some unions seem to forget that they are their to protect the worker not get greedsy and try to fleece the employer.