Agreed, based on my own experience, observations. As a kid, I was the IT for a mid-sized union shop, about 200 electricians in the field. Those electricians ha

Agreed, based on my own experience, observations. As a kid, I was the IT for a mid-sized union shop, about 200 electricians in the field. Those electricians had it great. Certainly much better than me. Of course, I've met many tradespersons, union and non-union. The union workers generally have materially better lives. My (idiot) son is a residential electrician with ambitions of growing his own business. I begged him to join the hall. Instead, he's worked for every kind bad employer. Been seriously injured multiple times. Wage theft. Etc. At about 25, he wouldn't further debase himself by starting over at the hall. So he keeps being exploited. Being non-union is probably fine if you have the ambition and chops to build up your own business.