Do we need the union?

In Dagen (http://www.dagen.se/dagen/Article.aspx?ID=154846) pastor Tommy Lilja goes against the rather new section of one of the big trade unions, now having a department for church employees. Tommy means that we do not need the union, that being a pastor is not an ordinary job and he himself wors 60 hours a week and never takes full holidays and is doing fine.
I respect him, and am glad that all works so well for him. John, pastor at New Life Church is on the same line (http://synergistic.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/leadership-in-the-church-dealing-with-the-hireling-mentality/) and him I respect very much, knowing him a bit better than Tommy Lilja.
I myself am pastor in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden MCCS. We had an employee organisation of our own, facilitating the setting of wages and helping in conflicts between employees and pastors. That organisation became part of the big union SKTF recently. I was content with our small orginasation, but my feeling about the present situation is not entirely positive. I can feel partly the same as John expresses in his blog. I really do not know whether I will stay in the union or not.
Why not? Because being a pastor is not an ordinary job. Because it is a call from the Lord. Because it is He who gives us our places and calls us. Because the pastor and the church must find consensus.
Why stay? Because many churches are not as ideal as they should be. Neither are pastors. Because I have seen more than one case where a very difficult situation for a pastor in a conflict with the church would have been much more difficult without the unions help. Because pastors do get unemployed and in Sweden you need to be organised to get any support of society. Swedish society works in a certain way, so you probably cannot draw any conclusions workable for all countries.

In a perfect world we do not need a union-like organisation. We would not need any paper regulating the relationship between the church and its pastors or deacons or other workers. But the world is no longer perfect, as can be read in Gen 3. Even Israel had to put in place worldly institutions. Even Paul struggled with some of his churches (just read 1 and 2 Cor).

In my church, I still feel that we talk as church leadership and pastors. We try to get consensus, I do not sense a feeling of "try to get out as much as possible out of negotiations". As long as things work as they do now, I can still be in the system. Called by God, to a place in this Swedish society, where unions are so important compared to many other countries. Maybe He calls some of us to be here like that, and others to live and serve in other ways.

I learned once that it is good for a missionary (and are we not that as pastors) to be as much as possible part of the society like other people. Not too rich, not too poor, experiencing life as anybody does. To be able to build relationships and to communicate the gospel in the best possible way.