I think it's because Unions have been replaced by other mode of employee empowerment: stock options.<p>Think from the point of the Employee:<p>1- Union Provides rights; but the employee feels that most of the basic rights are either already provided, or if not, should be provided by legislation not by union action now, so better vote in your favorite politician rather than fiddle with a union.<p>2- Union provide benefits; but employee might feel the benefit provided by stock options supersede any benefit provided by union (stonks over pensions, basically)<p>3- Union provided job security; but people don't care that now. For themselves, the idea of one long term job with benefits is no longer relevant, better to work a few years, encash stocks and move with a higher signup bonus and a pay increase higher than any company raise.
For their fellow employees, you might NOT want to have job stability for the dick working next to you. If they are fired, all the better for your job, your stock not affected by their poor performance.If an entire department needs to be removed because their work is obsolete (say, ICE specific dept being useless in the new EV world for example) you might not want the dead weight.<p>4- Union provided social benefit; but linked to example above, instead of the dead weight employees being forcefully kept employed by the company, and hindering your work, you would much rather the govt allow you to kick them out, allow you to increase efficiency and raise stock price, and then TAX you... and provide them social security benefit, while they train for new work or whatever.
You are still morally satisfied because the social benefit still takes care of them, but they are not hurting your work (and your stock price), so you don't feel irritated by them.<p>-And many other such benefits in a similar vein.<p>----<p>TL;DR: employees want the benefits that unions negotiated with companies (job security, health care) to be replaced by govt provided options instead (universal medicare, social security) and they want to be left alone to succeed and earn those stock options.<p>Basically, Tax me once a year and then leave me alone to work.<p>----<p>Caveat: I'm not American, (or from any developed country for that matter) This is just my personal understanding from observing habits and social comments and actions of silicon valley types. E&OE.