Regarding union leadership, there are union employees who are paid out of dues. My experience with them was similar to a pointy-haired boss in that they were not very helpful and it was frustrating to know that my dues would pay for these individuals to just exist and not produce value.

It may not be rational as maybe they did great stuff and I couldn’t see their value, but I would see them get high salaries compared to workers and serve in positions for very long terms.