It goes both ways. A reasonable union wouldn’t have a chance in the US because employers would run roughshod over them. I think German unions work pretty well because there are laws that give them a guaranteed position so they don’t always have to fight for survival. In the US they constantly have to fight which attracts people with extreme behavior. Being reasonable and moderate doesn’t get rewarded. You could say the same about US politics in general .

The SEIU in MN is the go to example around here; they got the government to consider personal care assistants (typically family members) to be considered public employees, automatically taking dues from their Medicaid benefits.

To say that that left a bitter taste in people's mouths around here toward them is an understatement.