re: Who here is in a union? Do you feel it helps or hurts?

Some unions will put their Union interest above the interest of the employees they represent. I once represented a company that was going to close because the owner died. Another company offered to acquire the company but only if the union would agree to release the buyer from the Union contract. The union would not agree, the company did not sell, and 20 employees lost their jobs.

The Union could have agreed and petition for a new election as soon as the new buyer took over. But, the union had not been a particularly good representative of the employees and likely knew that they would not win a new election.