There's no free ride. You do a lot of work in 8 hours and you are beat after your shift.
Beat is when you work a 10 hour day and then spend your leisure time repairing equipment, taking to the current builder or home owner you are working for, ordering supplies, keeping company books, designing builds, and trying to secure your next job.
I am not doubting what you say. I have zero first hand experience to base what I said, only what I've heard. A best friend that also was in the home building industry spent his last 12 years of employment working in the aircraft industry to establish some sort of retirement. He spent most of those years assembling something... I don't know what. He, too, had a time that the part was to completed. He said he could easily do three in that amount of time. Perhaps the time allotment was not well thought out by someone.
I hope that I'm not coming off as dogging a union or union jobs. I wish them well in their strike and hope they better their position. Everyone should strive to be compensated as much as possible to survive the present inflation. To have a collective voice lends strength in numbers. All good and I hope it works for them.
I loved my occupation and was well respected as a master craftsman. At best I earned $50 an hour, had thousands of dollars invested in tools to perform my craft, had zero vacation time, zero sick leave, zero health insurance, and zero retirement beyond social security which I was responsible for. I'm not complaining... I loved my work. If I had those years back to travel a different path, I wouldn't.
I'm not saying that the union is asking for too much. I hope they reach an agreement that is equitable. It just seems a lot looking at it from my vantage point.
