Scientific novelty of the presented research, in the author's opinion, is an attempt, on the one hand, to comprehensively consider the problems of trade unions, on the other hand, to build a logical cause-effect relationship, separating the root causes of trade union problems from their consequences, the secondary causes. Answering the question of whether trade unions today are a relic of the past or still constitute the last hope of workers, the author offers a conceptual version of the resolution of the problem, based on the teaching of Professor E. B. Khokhlov about the convergence of the interests of the employer and its employees.