SNIP
>Presently a worker works well beyond 8 hours a day or loses their job. Soon (if not already) there will be a bill passed in the U.S. that makes this overtime non-payable legally.

So true, but unions won't help in some fields in that regard. For example technical employees that typically are salaried and while we might receive some benefits from belonging to a union, the hours will probably not improve. Last night for instance, I was working on a project (has a deadline of next week) until the middle of the night. Had to get up at 6:00 am this morning as usual and head back in to work to continue to work on it. I will probably be working all day and all night this weekend also to meet the deadline. (I giggle when I think of recent news stories I've seen on tv regarding lack of sleep and stress, etc) In the meantime, during the workday I have to respond to all issues forwarded to me by our helpdesk that they cannot resolve, meetings on other projects, etc. My point is that unions will not help in many cases where the standard has already been set and is considered the 'norm' rather than the exception. Especially in today's climate of too many unemployed in the IT field. Competition is rough. There will always be someone willing to work the extra hours and put up with poor treatment just to land the job (well that is the case in all fields). Companies can aford to let you go if you ask for better treatment or join a union because there is someone else out there desperate enough to support their family looking for work. However, hourly employees can benefit quite a lot from belonging to a union especially where overtime hours and pay are concerned.