Benbradley, one thing I did learn from working with union members and their organisations was to avoid flattering them as a well-organised machine working from a single page or even a common cause, let alone support for a single leader.
My staff were members of several different unions that were at times at odds with each other more than they were with me or with the Education Department or its government master. The resolution of such conflicting stakeholders is complex but nevertheless achievable; Victroian public schools have been doing so for decades.
But union membership is now only about 12% of the workforce. Although still an important player, unions commands nothing like the industrial muscle you appear to fear so much. Even the ALP has therefore moved to reduce its role in determining ALP policy and in the selection of ALP leaders; perhaps providing the inspiration for Australia to move to the election of candidates by party members through a 'primary' system similar to that used in the USA.
