pcat160 You are asking such sensible questions but, unfortunately, 1970s Unions do not read questions the way that you ask them!
Any organisation/group of people gets bogged down with "We've always done it this way" and that is why:
- Companies start to fail and get bought up
- Governments fall apart and lose elections
- Laws made 200 years ago are no longer applicable and must be remade
- Churches start infighting and then have a schism
- People who have been married for 25 years and appear to be happy get a divorce.
- Employment practices that were great 50 years ago are not great now
What we are seeing is just the normal and natural progression of society. In order for things to move forward, something has to be broken and die. It is not nice for those caught up in it, but it will be better afterwards. It's a branch of Darwin's theory.