The mobs are not affiliated with New York unions anymore. Yes--for a time it was a big embarrassment. There are some arcane rules. The nepotism in getting in

The mobs are not affiliated with New York unions anymore. Yes--for a time it was a big embarrassment. There are some arcane rules. The nepotism in getting into these unions has been greatly reduced. (This guys crane looks like it needs more development time. On any big job site, you get to know your Crance Operator. They are lifting huge loads right over you heads. They take their jobs seriously. If this guys crane is better; it will eventually see job sites. Maybe--if it's safe. Yes--unions are slow to move, but for good reason on many cases. People get killed. I don't know all the ins-outs of this guy's crane. I would rather have a trained Crane Operator operating loads over my head. That just might change, but regulatory agencies/unions are not going to run to one guy's contraption.) Back to union membership. The test is very important. The union test is not usually a hard test, but you need to get every question right. Usually, the other 1/2 of getting into the union is the oral exam. On those boards are union delegates, contractors(many whom would run to non-union labor if feasible.), and in many unions, members of the community. They are trying to make getting into a union fair. There are many unions in NYC. There are many unions in SF. Both are union towns. I have not crossed picket lines because maids/painters were on strike. I have drove to San Francisco and drove right home. Those old unions do pay their members a very fair wage. Such a wage that brings a blue collar worker into the middle class. There's police unions all the way to Window Washer unions. The average owner/contractor/city would love to get rid of unions. They hate paying those wages. They would happily hire minimum wage workers. I have worked a few blue collar jobs that didn't gave unions. It's basically comes down to minimum wage, or a bit above, and at the end of the week; you wonder why you even show up. It all seems crazy until you're in a union. There's a reason most developers are very rich. They like to pay the least amount they can legally get away with. Tech is still relatively new. Wait until the barriers to enter become easier than they are today. Watch what happens to those generous pay packages.