1. Unionized coal mines had/have much better wages and working conditions :)
2. Of course there are shades everywhere. And just because there are worse exploiters, doesn't mean google should get away with anything that's not "as bad" as those.
Yes, unions watch out for their member’s bottom line, but even without a union, workers at Google have organized to protect others beside themselves!
If I felt I was being under-compensated, working in poor conditions, and had my back against the wall, I'd want a union too. But describing my job like that is hysterically funny, much less Google programmers.
What's really going on here is simple. If you work at Google, your job is too good. There's no struggle. People want a struggle and so they invent one by LARPing as Marxists.