"Professional employees whose work is merit-based don't need labor unions."
You're living in a dream world, Neo.
You're living in a dream world, Neo.
See 'stack ranking' for a perfect example.
Also, stack ranking doesn't account for any flaws in the systems of the company itself - if you have poor processes that hinder productivity, it's going to artificially diminish the rankings of employees that have to use or are subject to those processes.
There's a reason why companies that use it tend to have much higher turnover than companies that don't - because it makes for a really unpleasant workplace.