I don't want to mar the conversation with a pro or anti union debate. Let's take it out.
You have to turn those "what ifs" into "so whats" because there is always the chance that a manager is going to fire you unjustly. If the organization is setup properly, the loss of your employment would adversely affect your department's profit numbers. Since the manager is responsible for those numbers, one can assume there will be repercussions for a decrease.
This all assumes that the organization is a well-oiled machine, but since a vast majority aren't, you have to assume that you will be fired for any reason. The good thing is that if you can provide value to one company, you may have a good chance at providing value to another company (especially if it can be quantified on a resume). These are known as transferrable skills, and they're what good employees retain in order to get a high-paying job.
You have to turn those "what ifs" into "so whats" because there is always the chance that a manager is going to fire you unjustly. If the organization is setup properly, the loss of your employment would adversely affect your department's profit numbers. Since the manager is responsible for those numbers, one can assume there will be repercussions for a decrease.
This all assumes that the organization is a well-oiled machine, but since a vast majority aren't, you have to assume that you will be fired for any reason. The good thing is that if you can provide value to one company, you may have a good chance at providing value to another company (especially if it can be quantified on a resume). These are known as transferrable skills, and they're what good employees retain in order to get a high-paying job.