Mom and Dad didn’t want a union to come in. It would’ve hurt their business immensely.
I think that today, welders probably make more money than back then (they sold their business in 1974). I only know what I see, I have no actual knowledge of what the industry pays now, but I do know that welders are in high demand. Oil pipelines- have you seen any of the work going on at Musk’s Starbase? The amount of welding going on there is amazing. The Starships themselves have an enormous amount of welding in their construction. The launch towers- I watched tower 2 being put together last summer and was surprised to see welders all over that structure.
I think Dad would be proud to see it.
I don’t know if unions are involved, but I’m sure those people are making good money.
Im not surprised, the unions were/are a big problem everywhere they show up regardless of which industry.
Yes, they are definitely making good money now. Certainly comfortable. 2000-ish when the Silent Generation were retiring, all of a sudden there werent enough welders. There is a place in a town near me that has been paying good wages and has had all kinds of advertising to bring in employees but they can never find enough. They could have probably hired a bunch of local kids (they never leave home town) back 15 years ago sent them to school and had them work until they paid back school and would have 4 full shifts pumping out profit now if they wanted.
Right now my youngest is a welding nursing assistant taxidermist. Maybe she is planning on mounting geriatric robots when its their time to be put away, Im not sure.
Those are two more things that all of a sudden can make some decent money, certainly livable. Nursing Assistant pay has more than doubles in the last couple of years and the taxidermist she is training with has a real nice house and brags that he makes enough for two families.
All three of those jobs are ones that I was always told to stay away from and would have told others to stay away from in the past. Not particularly good advice any more.