Unions: Where did the U.S.A. go wrong?

[Xiahou]

I'd say the fall of unions probably goes hand in hand with the growth of their incestuous relationship with government. The majority of union members are now government employees- the vicious circle that can lead to is dizzying.

Of course, that's in addition to some of the things that Lemur touched on such as early unions achieving much of their goals via labor laws.