Aaaaaand this is why we need unions.
No unions are part of the problem. They are constantly negotiating down wages for new employees to help those that have retired in place or are near retirement. Look at all the tiered compensation schemes they negotiated where new guys can never earn as much as a legacy employee. Or all the benefit reductions for new hires. In some places unions actually negotiated for wages lower than local min wages because Fuck the new guy.
We are union. I'm proud to be union. I work where I do because of the union. That said: Business unionism sucks. snoodog has some valid points. I know that as a low-ish seniority part-timer, the union as an institution doesn't give a shit about me. Individual people can be great. The institution? Fucking frustrating.
I agree with both of you in that regard. Whether a union acts in the interest of employees in general (including new ones) or in the interests of some privileged clique (e.g. senior employees, the business) is down to a number of political factors, the way in which the union is organised, etc. Iron law of oligarchy and all that.