Not all unions are pointless. Some are, some aren't.

The Teamsters union is a prime example of one I believe whose time has passed.

They still use hardball tactics (intimidation, threats, etc) to try to unionize companies when employees are perfectly happy without union representation.

They also push for contractual items that would bankrupt companies. Case in point, St Johnsbury trucking. The owner told the union he was doing all he could just to keep people on the job, and couldn't pay any more. He also told the union that if they persisted with the contract they were pushing and went on strike, he would close the doors. That is exactly what happened, so instead of having people working for what the teamsters thought were substandard wages, they had people in the unemployment line.

One case of a union that is still needed? The US Post office. The supervision and management is inept, and that's being kind. Contrary to what BM wrote, the USPS DOES award jobs by skill. They are awarded in most cases by senior qualified, not just seniority. Having had to go to the union more than once to correct inept supervision, I shudder to think what the work environment would be like without the union.