Leveraging bargaining power has nothing to do with political ideology. Some may seek to hijack the movement, union hierachy may go too far in their demands, but that's another issue.
Either side can go to far if the balance of power is tipped too heavily in their favour.
It works both ways. Nothing to do with ideology, just a balance of power enabling fair negotiation.
"If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men have a right to capitalize their ideas and resources of their country, then that implies the right of men to capitalize their labor" - Frank Lloyd Wright
You're repeating ideology without addressing the fundamental issue that unions raise wages by reducing the labor pool. People get left out.
The balance of power is real. It's not an ideology. Without a more equal footing at the negotiating room, workers concerns can easily be dismissed.
A successful business should be able to afford to pay reasonable rates.
The issue is taking advantage of the powerless. Putting aside the benefits of collective bargaining, consider what can happen without safeguards in place.
''The ACTU is concerned that the
exploitation of workers has become systemic in many sectors of
the economy and noncompliance with workplace laws has become commonplace. Many low
paid workers are presently in industries with poor levels of compliance; agriculture, meat
processing, hospitality, retail and accommodation all of which have a particularly high incidence
of wage theft and exploitation.
When low-wage workers are cheated out of even a small percentage of their income, it can
cause major hardships like being unable to pay for rent, child care, or put food on the table.
Wage theft from low paid workers is also detrimental to society, as it contributes to widening
income inequality, wage stagnation, and low living standards—interrelated problems that drive
inequality in our society.
Businesses like 7 Eleven, Caltex, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Red Rooster and others must take
responsibility for their flawed business models which allow wage theft and other exploitative
practices to flourish.
What is clear from these recent wage scandals is that business size is not a
guarantee against widespread breaches of workplace laws, neither is commercial success, nor is
being a common household name or a brand that is present on many high streets.
Furthermore employers that do the right thing and pay their employees the proper level of pay and
entitlements should not be placed at a competitive disadvantage relative to firms who regularly
partake in these practices''.
"If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men have a right to capitalize their ideas and resources of their country, then that implies the right of men to capitalize their labor" - Frank Lloyd Wright