My first exposure to Union workers was as a contractor in a paper mill. We were using a scissor lift to access the steel rafters and moved to an area that was occupied by a bunch of empty carts on wheels. We started moving the carts out of the way when a man approached us and told us to stop because we were “doing someone else’s job”.
Had to wait 10 minutes for another guy to come over who pushed the carts out of the way in less than one minute.
And if it was like the union plant I worked in, the guy would have got a subtle ribbing from his union co-workers about either:
1. Working too fast, thereby working himself out of a job.
2. Working too hard, thereby doing the job that 2 or 3 union members could have helped him do.
3. Working too eagerly and being a suck up.
Unions are one level away from being a government employee (think DMV), unless they are a member of a government union which should be against the law.