Something about the way labor unions are acting in the United States these days reminds me of the Catholic Church during a phase when it was ripe for criticism.  From a Stephen Moore essay in The Epoch Times in April:

Last week, the United Mine Workers of America union endorsed Biden’s energy policies. Yes, you read that right. The coal-mining union bosses have embraced a bill that outlaws coal mining.

This is about as dumb as the Pipefitters Union endorsing Biden for president. He repaid them with his first act as president—killing the Keystone XL pipeline. So now, we have the Pipefitters Union against pipelines and the coal miners union against coal.

Did anyone bother to actually ask the rank-and-file members what they thought? Can they get their union dues back?

This is just predictable human nature.  An institution (in this case, labor unions) becomes a way for ambitious people to claim positions of power, and that power (along with its personal benefit) become a lure for people who aren’t as emotionally or intellectually invested in the mission of the institution.  Over time, the people holding the power begin to disconnect the power from the ostensible purpose for which they have the power.

Naturally, the problem is worse when membership is obligatory and democratic controls are broken (whether by design or manipulation).