Unions have played an important role in workers’ rights, fighting for fairness, equity, better wages, benefits and many of the protections workers enjoy today. Many unionists will remind you that if you get paid vacation, thank a union. If you get paid overtime, thank a union. If you have health insurance and other workplace benefits, thank a union.

You see where I’m going with this.

However, the workplace has evolved. Many companies today understand that if they want to attract and retain the best talent, they have to offer competitive salaries, good benefits, flexibility and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

Unions, at least in Bermuda, were very effective when I was growing up. Picket lines, marches and protests were ways to get things done and, in many cases, improve conditions for workers. From Bermuda’s oldest union, the Bermuda Union of Teachers, to the Bermuda Industrial Union, Bermuda Public Services Union and others, unions have played a significant role in Bermuda’s history.

But times have changed, and I think it’s fair to ask: what purpose does a union serve today?

Now, some people have enjoyed the benefits of battles fought before their time without ever experiencing the struggle that produced them. It’s easy to become anti-union when you’ve never had to fight for some of the protections you now take for granted.

At the same time, history alone can’t be the reason an organisation remains relevant.

Workers today face different challenges. The gig economy, artificial intelligence, remote work, redundancies, outsourcing, the rising cost of living and concerns about whether technology will eventually replace certain jobs are changing the workplace. So maybe unions have to evolve as well.

Should today’s union be focused less on picket lines and more on helping workers retrain for industries that are changing? Should they be helping members understand AI and prepare for jobs that may not exist yet? Should they be more involved in conversations around pensions, affordable healthcare, wages and the cost of living?

Maybe unions are as necessary as they’ve ever been, but their role needs to look different.

Then again, maybe unions are already doing these things and need to do a better job of communicating their value to a generation that didn’t experience the battles that made them necessary in the first place.

Either way, I think the question people ask is fair.