These dues are set by a vote of the membership. The dues help pay for the costs of representing workers' interests and collective bargaining. It really doesn't cost to belong to a union- it pays. The truth about strikes When Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act, it guaranteed workers the right to join unions and the legal right to strike. Without these rights, we'd be working for slave wages, as they do in countries where there are no unions and no freedoms.
Strikes are very uncommon today.
The U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that only one work day out of a thousand is lost due to a strike. However, strikes are sometimes necessary. When all else fails, employees will sometimes have to strike to win their contract needs. This usually happens when employers are unreasonable and need to be shown how valuable the contribution of workers really is. The right to strike is a potent weapon in the right to gain a fair contract.