Not entirely sure why this is relevant, to be honest, other than to do down trade unions as a whole.
I'm not sure what you mean by "down" trade unions? If you are trying to dismiss the fact that Unions are in decline, then that's your prerogative but the reality is undeniable.
Obviously I don't know your personal circumstances, but my union spends almost all of its time defending its members (and I know this because I've been a shop steward as well) and that includes pay increases. So the theory, for the most part, is the reality...
We will have to agree to disagree; clearly as you have been involved in unions you have a particular view that won't be compatible with my thoughts given my experiences.
In my experience, union officials aren't always good at establishing the views of ordinary workers, and/or trying to achieve good outcomes for the people who those workers work to serve.
If unions were consistently great, the majority of employees would surely be in unions, and that isn't the case; indeed union membership is falling. The rail industry is an example of a sector which is not aligned with the majority of employees.
Stating unions defend members or ask for pay increases is staying the obvious but doesn't really address the concerns I had, or the wider picture, dao doesn't demonstrate what you claim. Anyway, let's agree to disagree as there is no benefit debating this further. It's a subjective matter for which we have different views.