According to Martin (1980) Australian union representation is about the "protection and improvement...of pay and conditions of work". In this regard, we must ask ourselves why, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in April 2008, only "one employee in five (19% or 1.7 million people) was a member of a union"? Why wouldn't an Australian worker want to have the right to the representation and support networks offered by the many different unions across Australia? This essay will first focus on what drives a worker to join a union. The current working climate and employment relationship will then be examined, considering the modern concern about the lack of loyalty of Generation Y. Furthermore, the essay will argue that workers must belong to a union to ensure that vulnerable employees are not exploited. The essay will then critically analyze the impact the Federal Court has on trade unionism, in light of its recently reduced arbitral powers. Finally, the paper will critically consider the social, legal and political factors that have seen trade union membership in free fall over the last two decades. Before boldly stating that “all workers should belong to a union,” it is imperative to consider some of the most important reasons to support the idea of ​​joining a union. Studies conducted by both Guest and Dewe (1988) and Farber and Saks (1980) found that dissatisfaction with the supervisory relationship, job content, and job involvement were the most significant triggers. An additional consideration that employees make is the idea of ​​a union offering the ability to remedy unsatisfactory working conditions. This is an exceptionally important factor in the decision as resolving pay or work health and safety (OH+S) issues individually can be an extremely daunting challenge for the average Australian worker. And finally, there are those employees who join a union because of an indoctrinated commitment to the ideological values ​​that union represents. According to Klandermans (1986), these people have “ideal collective motives”. However, unfortunately, such practices cannot be taught, but are rather inherent in a person's constitutional make-up. In addition to the factors mentioned above, the modern employment relationship and working climate must certainly also encourage the involvement of trade unions. A significant study conducted by Peetz (1997, p.27) highlighted the growing trend of employee dissatisfaction with management practices.