In Philadelphia, the local union is useless unless you play in the theatre circuit. There are lots of venues that never even ask about union cards, let alone enforce any regulations.
The power of the union has diminished over the years, and in todays business, at least for the small time, local player - there is NO reason or benifit to belong too it.
I remember one hotel in the 70's asking us for cards (Holiday Inn, I think), and the leader showed his, and that was all they needed. It used to be that the bartenders were all union too, but that's not the case anymore.
I have nothing but bad experiences with unions (in general) because I worked with the UAW while I was in college. What a bunch of crooks! They told me not to work so fast, take longer breaks, and gave me all the "tips" on how to LOOK busy and not really DO anything. It was horrible. My frist "REAL" encounter with the adult workforce, and I was soured badly.
I believe that the unions were important many, many years ago - but they have outlived their usefulness, and are now a THREAT to the hard worker of today. MERIT should be the ONLY criteria of a job - not tenure, or status, or union regulations.
It makes my blood boil when I think that some people are drawing a salary for NOT working, while many are willing to work, and can't break into the UNION jobs. It's just wrong.
...I fell better now.