"With federal law now offering worker protections commensurate with most of what the unions were originally formed to combat, just what is their place in today's world?"

Spend a few hours in my world and you'll soon see that the laws don't do a whole lot when you try and use them. The FLRA for the time being is not at all labor friendly or inclined to rule in labors' favor. I've seen several union representatives lose their jobs for very minuscule violations and the FLRA is reluctant to reverse any of the terminations while management operates with impunity in a very heavy handed way with no end in sight.

Unions have made a bad name for themselves in many instances but their misdeeds come nowhere near those of management.

Kevin g