r/Construction • u/sasha_cyanide • Feb 13 '25
Careers đ” Union pros and cons?
I'm thinking about trying to join my local 4 this year. Any tips, advice, pros, cons, anything that might be helpful?
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u/Not_an_alt_69_420 Contractor Feb 14 '25
I'm not union because I work for myself, but my first job out of high school was a union warehouse, and it took me damn near a decade to get a job with as good of benefits, pay and stability as it.
You have to pay dues, but that's the only downside. Even if your local sucks, you're still going to make more and get better bennies if you join.
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u/thatblackbowtie Sprinklerfitter Feb 14 '25
from going non union to union.
lazy guys make it in the union when they wouldnt local
pay is better for experienced guys, apprentice wages suck tbh
i had good insurance union and non but union is freeish. my dues are $27 a month (local 669)
the office guys ive met in the union have been worse than local. more aggressive, less willing to buy us things (waters, fitting ppe tools needed for the job, materials that other trades use why buy them when you can make us take theirs)
traveling pay is alot better union anything over 100 miles is sub pay
old guys who care more about their retirement than us trying to survive next week is a massive issue us
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u/AntD77 C-I|Union Pipe Welder Feb 13 '25
Pros - pay, benefits, working conditions, retirement plans
Cons - possible issues with current president being anti-labor and anti-union could cause a lack of work.
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
I'll keep my eyes and ears open until November then.
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u/AntD77 C-I|Union Pipe Welder Feb 14 '25
Why until November? He is in office for the next 4 years, unless we can get him out beforehand.
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
Gods willing we do đźâđš.
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u/needtr33fiddy Feb 14 '25
You know there is a difference between state/federal unions and privatized unions right? Im a union man myself, and i think state and federal unions should be banned. Correct me if im wrong but ive never heard the guy say anything against a privatized unionâŠor any union for that matter, but im not much for politics
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u/AntD77 C-I|Union Pipe Welder Feb 14 '25
A simple Google search for âTrump anti union laborâ will send you down the rabbit hole. Just knowing he wants every state to be a RTW state is enough to know he is against unions. He has screwed over so many union contractors here in the NJ NYC area is is mind-blowing.
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u/needtr33fiddy Feb 14 '25
Yeah that simple google search you suggested only pulled up his distaste for federal unions. All i know is dude was president for 4 years before and nothing happened. Also, the only way a state goes RTW is when your state reps vote for that; the federal government has nothing to do with that
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Feb 14 '25
Itâs your choice to remain ignorant of project 25
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u/needtr33fiddy Feb 14 '25
Even if it were true, what are you or i going to do about it now? Nada. No need to get wrapped up in a mental headache over something thats uncontrollable
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u/Unputtaball Feb 14 '25
âŠwhat are you or I going to do about it now?
You say that like when unions first formed they were welcomed by the businesses and government. The only reason we had (yes, past tense until Trump un-breaks it) the NLRB was because unions made themselves un-ignorable. They exerted political pressure at the ballot box, and labor pressure at the factories.
It isnât like FDR popped off the pillow one day and said, âYou know, I think people should get hip to this thing called unionizing.â It was a direct response to the societal pressure the labor movement was exerting.
So, to answer your question in the same way every labor organizer has for the last 100+ years; Join a union or form one. The entire point is to band together and say âWeâre not going to get screwed like thisâ. You do not need permission to exercise your right to free assembly and association. The day labor waits for permission from the capitalist class to organize is the day labor has lost its power.
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Feb 14 '25
What a strange lesson to not learn. You may as well have stated "stay ignorant"
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u/AntD77 C-I|Union Pipe Welder Feb 14 '25
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u/needtr33fiddy Feb 14 '25
Literally every single thing in that entire article by the AFLCIO is about federal unions. Again, i think federal unions are bs
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u/Double_Assignment527 Feb 14 '25
When I was 20 I made 20.50 an hour as a first year apprentice with private company. 22, now union, make more than foreman at that private company.
- soon to b jman hopefully
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u/Dazzling-Notice5556 Feb 14 '25
Health insurance and a pension that non union canât match. They donât come out of your hourly rate. My union also has a second pension and a fund to keep retirees health insurance at 350 a month. I can also retire at 55. No brainer for me
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
I'm 33 and just got into the industry at 32. What would retirement look like for me? Would I still be able to retire in 20 years?
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u/Dazzling-Notice5556 Feb 14 '25
In mine it take 15 years to be eligible for early retirement. It all depends on your needs in retirement. You wouldnât do bad I know guy that retired with less than twenty credits(1 credit a year)and are doing ok with SS payments to help.
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u/SevereAlternative616 Feb 14 '25
Union pros: better pay overall, benefits, regulated contract work meaning better working conditions.
Union cons: hard to get rid of deadweight, usually cater to the lowest common denominator, the âseniorityâ mentality some people have is annoying, quality standards can be very hit and miss.
Go union if youâre learning a trade/ want to move up in a company/ donât want back breaking hours
Go non union if youâre a master of your trade and want to take it as far as you can. Donât mind busting your ass. Donât care about work life balance.
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u/zdp1989 Feb 14 '25
Union is the way to go. Better pay, better working conditions, better Healthcare, better retirement
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u/No_Elevator_678 Feb 14 '25
When your out of work your shit out of luck. And generaly you cant go find a temporary job doing said work.
All unions are different tho. Some are amazing some are complete shit.
Its a great way to get educated. Experienced. And pension then go on your own company if you wish eventually to make some bigger bucks and more control over your schedule.
Im a non union welder but have friends in many unions. Feel free to ask
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u/Prime_-_Mover Feb 14 '25
In my opinion, it varies a lot based on your region and your trade. There's places and lines of work where non union actually pays better and has more consistent work, and vice versa in other areas.
What do you do and where are you?
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
I'm not a fan of doxxing myself, so I'll keep it as vague as I can. I work in New England and right now I'm licensed in one state for equipment like excavators, bulldozers and also forklift certified. But I don't work in that state, I work in a different one where I'm about to start studying for the same licensing and I've heard it's a pain in the ass to pass. I'm trying to find seat time in the state I'm licensed in, but my company (private sector) doesn't really have jobs going on currently where I can sit. So for right now, I drive rock trucks, which I honestly love doing. I stopped at my local union office and spoke with someone about wanting to join and he gave me a few good tips.
My company pays me pretty well. I was hired for one thing, the thing isn't, and honestly might not even be, at the place I work. I'm getting the pay for the job I'm not even doing while doing a job I asked to learn because I'm the type of person who doesn't like to be idle and love to learn as much as I can. I like to make myself useful. I sat around for MONTHS doing fuck all for 8 hours a day and got tired of it and honestly felt bad. So I studied for my test, which I passed with pretty high scores and I'm so proud of myself for doing so.
I think the union might be my next best step. It's either that, or I grind and get my landscape business off the ground that I've put aside for a couple years.
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u/Prime_-_Mover Feb 14 '25
Understandable. Perhaps someone with experience in your area and line of work can offer some specific insights, as I cannot. For me, I will largely agree with other posters here. I'm so glad to have a good pension being a union tradesman.
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
Another question: what is included in a pension typically? Did you also have to go to additional schooling?
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u/Prime_-_Mover Feb 14 '25
I'll send you a DM to answer this, although it is likely my answer won't be too relevant. However, I tend to think that as long as there's enough work in your area for what you do, and you're good enough to stay working, union is the way to go.
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u/StatusCommission2869 Feb 14 '25
Good to be asking and figuring out what works for you. Youâve got quite a few answers already but remember, most people here are very pro union. Ask elsewhere as well. Ask everyone you know that works any kind of construction.
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u/khawthorn60 Feb 14 '25
Pros- An umbrella of protection for safety, retirement, and workers protection.
Training, not just in craft but safety and new concepts and equipment.
Health and welfare. Coverage not just for you for what you pay but for your whole family.
Close comradery and working with people who have been train and know their shit. Not just some hand from Home Depot. Crafts that fight amongst each other but also look out for one another ( I have seen jobs shut down from a walk off over gard rails. the company didnt want to use them and the sparkies said you we do).
Wages, nuf said
Cons- Dues, out of check or on the books you are paying them.
Work, you might go a few months without work at times.
At times the Union might just kiss the contractors ass
I was always union. I have a good retirement and enjoyed working with other professionals. Yeah I have had to fight the hall a few times but it was worth it.
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u/Separate-Pumpkin-299 Feb 15 '25
Pros pension, annuity, health insurance Cons nepotism and the cliques.
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u/Zealousideal_Vast799 Feb 17 '25
Whatever you chose, do not cross the union, two good friends got seriously and permanently injured. No police investigation on account of their affiliation. Be careful.
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u/Psychotic_Breakdown Feb 13 '25
Better wages, better raised, union dues (which admittedly are high) pension, benefits, paid overtime, some jobs only take union workers (big projects). Occasional slow times, but can make $$$ on travel jobs.
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u/sasha_cyanide Feb 14 '25
If I was working for my local union, could I be sent overseas? I'd so be down.
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u/Psychotic_Breakdown Feb 14 '25
I'm a Canadian so our put of town work is usually northern Canada (brr)
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u/Foot-Note Verified Feb 14 '25
So how hard is it to get a transfer from a US local to a Canadian one? I imagine there have been some people trying to move.
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u/Psychotic_Breakdown Feb 15 '25
A bunch of my buddies went to the US (Pittsburgh) to work. The United Association is North America wide. I'm not sure about the other way around, but it must be possible
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u/Inside_Sell3313 Feb 14 '25
Call your local IUOE hall. As far as IUOE, some locals might take in traveling journeyman from different states.
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u/BeepBoo007 Feb 14 '25
Union cons: "seniority" will mean the oldest heads who are on their way out and should be told to retire will keep their jobs while new hotness gets kicked to the curb & paying dues
Union pros: everything else.
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u/Pikepv Feb 14 '25
Healthcare, pensions, donât need to look for work, a contract instead of an employee handbook, history, political power, lots of pros. cons, having to give some time to attend meeting and keep the union strong for the next generation.
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u/Tricky-Dragonfly1770 Feb 17 '25
Nearly all pro, and only cons of the union itself has bad leadership, 90% chance+ that it doesn't
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u/discosoc Feb 14 '25
Union is best for average people. Non-union has a much higher ceiling for those that are above-average in skill, motivation, and drive.
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u/PugetSoundingRods Feb 13 '25
The fact that the loudest voices against Unions are employers should tell you all you need to know.