Confused about this simple sentence. ?

Question

Freer trade is not universally popular in the United States. Many trade unions remain skeptical, @@pointing to a steady loss of high-paying union jobs to developing countries@@. However, most consumers are enthusiastic as they gain the benefits of the lower prices resulting from greater competition. Congress is divided on the issue with perhaps a slight majority being in favor of trade promotion authority.

Q: You don't bother to explain the whole sentence for me. The only place where I don't understand is the part marked between @@@, that is:

"pointing to a steady loss of high-paying union jobs to developing countries"

And please explain what kind of job a "union job" is like, if you can.

Answer 1

In this context, a "union" is an organized group of workers that sees to it that everyone in the union is treated fairly and gets certain benefits.  Different types of jobs have different unions:  There's a plumbers' union, a teachers' union, a construction workers' union, and so on.

Most union jobs pay much high wages than the same job done by non-union workers.  So if a company hires non-union workers, they can get away with paying them less and so lower the cost of making their product or doing their service.  That lower cost gets passed on to the consumer, which makes them more competitive than companies that pay their workers higher salaries.

Developing countries (that means poor countries) not only do not have unions, but workers in those countries are paid even less than the U.S.'s minimum wage.  So Americans are losing jobs because it's cheaper for American companies to hire workers in developing (poor) countries.