It goes further than that.

Using a modern day example Australia a leading power when it comes to automation of train services (though that's also because of our dependence on trains for freight). Now, Queensland Rail suffered a little bit of deliberate political sabotage a couple years back. They have lots of trains but very few drivers and they're only just now starting to recover. If the union had any sense they'd lobby for automation, pushing the remaining drivers into technician jobs. It'd make services cheaper, more frequent, safer and offer a much better job for the remaining drivers. Instead, we're hiring a whole bunch of new drivers and services are behind by years because operating a locomotive is apparently not something just anyone off the street can or wants to do.

The union had the power to make Queensland Rail a lot better. They just chose not to because they were too lazy to push for new technology. They'd rather replace drivers with drivers because that's easier for them.