Whatever helps you sleep at night. I am not here to change your mind, do what you need to do, This started with someone chiming in with a man on the street interview 'I have heard about this union mentality' so I'll paint them all with a broad brush with no clue about anything. You have been on the other side so you have experience, unions or management are not perfect. However, my experience has been that the union guys who cross over to management seem to think they have to prove they are really on the company's team by being excessively down on the union, they forget where they came from. They sell out, and the company owns them. But you did say oh, just get another job like you did. You did not get another job, you just sold your soul to the company.
The reason your contract went up 1.5% instead of 3% because the unions are the most burden on this economy and work distribution. They are the least competitive in this market. The leadership is very corrupt and the majority of the government/state contracts moneys go elsewhere but to give you guys a raise. Like it was pointed out about the NJ teachers union that is sucking the state of NJ dry *** and you can not get it off like a tic. It becomes a political thing when it comes to unions now a days. The lawyers, the bylaws and all this ********....
A while back i worked in aerospace company of three generations based out of long island. In the 50s that is when the unions started to spread ( correct me if i am wrong) the union reps came to the owner (the grad father ) and wanted to "lay down the rules and establish a union" to which the owner told them that they have 3 days to change their mind or he will close the factory, he was not going to be pushed in the corner with this union.....and he did...3000 workers were fired. He just reopened a couple months later ...lol But this is the thing of the past but a damn good story.
Another thing, you do not need to change your job, but get better at what you do. When people get promoted at the work place weather its a union or a normal business there is reason behind it, and not because they suck someones ****, they are just better and just able to outperform the rest.
Unions are not exactly known to hire a lot talent per say. Lot of cases when the cousin knows the uncle of the father in law that has been in the union for 10 years and can recommend the individual because of "the relationship" factor rather than talent and ability to work and and be able to do a good job.
I just had a bunch of turkey and feel really relaxed. My wife is mad that i am on the computer, again. So have a good holiday again.