And it is not only benefits in pay that are achieved - there is also better job security, health and safety, superannuation and a range of other conditions and protections. Union members pay for the costs of negotiating agreements - the resources required for research, and the staff time in preparing documentation and attending meetings. Our enterprise bargaining system imposes significant costs on union members and their unions, because each agreement must be negotiated separately. The fact is that without union members paying the costs, unions would not be able to negotiate agreements, and employers would have it all their own way. That's why the United States provides for compulsory fees payable to unions by workers covered by collective agreements.
Similar laws apply in Canada, Israel and South Africa.
It would be hardly surprising if union members resented paying for services that they see others getting for free. Early experience of these provisions suggests that non-union members also see the justice in the proposition that they should pay their way. In order to be certified, an agreement must have majority support from the employees who are to be covered by it. Non-unionists and unionists all get a vote. Our democracy is built on the notion of majority rules.