Well I work with the trades on a daily basis. I stand by what I said. The new guys get screwed, the pay scale is entirely weighted towards the guys who have the most years in the union. For the first few years you get paid like crap. And when there are layoffs they trim from the bottom up based on years of service. So it doesn't matter if the guy who is 25 is busting his ass, the guy who is 50 and slacking all day gets paid three times as much and can't be fired.
I know for a fact that the younger guys resent the older guys (and the union that protects the older guys) far more than they resent the non-union or even at times the company itself.
Now I don't know much about non-union welders other than two friends I know. One started his own business making railings and fences and things like that and makes a good amount of money working for himself. He's non-union but also a small business owner so maybe that is a bad data point.
If we eliminated the union at my company, the welders would get paid on merit. It would be a very good thing for most of the younger guys who work their butt off. It would be a bad thing for most of the guys who have been here for 30 years.
So you're saying you'd rather have a quick bump in pay than annuity, pension, access to the local's placement services and guaranteed working conditions/benefits? That's your call ultimately but you'll excuse me if I think it seems a bit short-sighted. Out of curiosity do you have your journeyman's book yet?
Edited to add: nepotism and "good ol boy" networks are pretty much how business gets done everywhere, regardless of industry. A lot of people have this knee jerk reaction against such things and don't stop to consider this is the working end of "Networking".
I know for a fact that the younger guys resent the older guys (and the union that protects the older guys) far more than they resent the non-union or even at times the company itself.
Now I don't know much about non-union welders other than two friends I know. One started his own business making railings and fences and things like that and makes a good amount of money working for himself. He's non-union but also a small business owner so maybe that is a bad data point.
If we eliminated the union at my company, the welders would get paid on merit. It would be a very good thing for most of the younger guys who work their butt off. It would be a bad thing for most of the guys who have been here for 30 years.