Forgive my ignorance here; I'm seeking an education on this.

As I read these postings here, issues relating to pay and discipline aren't subject to union activity, and the union in any case is forbidden from striking. In that case ... what's the point of having a union? The union has no weapon to use in negotiations, and can't talk about the most fundamental issues in the employer-employee relationship. What's left?

I'm not inherently anti-union (though my one experience with a union, albeit unusual, wasn't a good one) ... but I'm just not sure what good a union accomplishes, for anyone, in this setting.