When I lived in Japan, the place I worked had a union though I wasn't a member. In all the time I worked there, all I heard was how their union got certain concessions and they were fighting for other things, too. Concessions which were already a part of our contract across the network regardless of union status. And the office lost one lawsuit which was a neverending topic from the union folks. Funny thing is, the company had to be taken to court again for noncompliance of the previous decision. Which they still hadn't followed by the time I left.