&gt; Unions in California were criticized in a recent forbes opinion piece I read for wanting to exempt union run shops from the minimum wage, but frankly, that seems like a sensible position to take.<p>I can <i>sort of</i> see that, because those employees (supposedly) have the union to take care of them.  But if below minimum wage isn&#x27;t enough to live on, below minimum wage plus having to pay union dues isn&#x27;t enough, either.  And &quot;it&#x27;s legal to do that to union employees but not to non-union employees&quot; reeks of double standard.