It saddened me that his first consideration upon graduating was to join the Union and get legal protection.

I can't agree with you there, El Greko. I think joining the appropriate Union should be one of the first things you do in any job, for all kinds of reasons.

One of the most important being, as a way of defending your right to act ethically, and to protect you, if need be, against your employers - for example, the kind of thing Kaleea instanced, where the school was colluding in child abuse - "...we were not to report it or else we'd be fired. She said the school system didn't need any more lawsuits."