• Death_Equity@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The unions don’t let in enough people for one. Thousands apply for a few dozen to a hundred spots per year for locals that cover major metropolitan areas.

    The demand for the work is far greater than the desire to do the work.

    Union carpenters in my area make about $33 an hour, starting off at around $14-16. Compare that to a union plumber who makes $55 an hour, starting at $20/hr. Carpentry pay is too low and plumbing can be some really shitty work. Both do hard work that is somewhat technical, it ain’t rocket surgery, but there is a fair amount of math involved and understanding diagrams.

    I would work to address the barrier to entry to unions, but that won’t fix the fault of the person who should do the work but won’t regardless of the pay and benefits.