I was thinking about this sub as I was signing up to my new union after changing jobs.
I'm in the UK and here there's no restrictions on joining a union. At my last job the union were very active and in every office was at least one noticeboard dedicated to union adverts and activity. All our pay and agreements were negotiated via the union whether you were a member or not. Been though the company and the union were usually at loggerheads, there was no anti union activity from the company. In fact they went out of their way to accommodate union talks before regular meetings.
At my new job, they only recognise one specific union so I enrolled with them today. My boss basically encouraged it for the discounts and other benefits.
My cousins job is totally the opposite. His union actively strike all the time and are very militant. Them and the company I imagine hate each other but I can't imagine anyone from the company engaging in anti union activity. Except maybe the odd manager here and there bitching about them.
When I worked at McDonalds there was no restriction on me as an individual calling up any union and joining it.
Why does it seem so different with in the US? I'm thinking of Starbucks and Amazon here. Is it a case of one person in the store encouraging the others to get involved?