I worked in a unionized shop and as soon as I was able they put me on a fork lift so I could come in on weekends and unload the barrels from the belts. I guess I was trained a little but the lift was actually easy to drive. Nevertheless, one of the summer hires did drive through a door with the load elevated and took out the top section of the building. No one was hurt, the lift had a screen that saved the driver from the falling debris. We also never heard of anyone having trouble getting insurance to pay to fix the wall.
I also worked as an engineer in a unionized shop where the workers went out on strike. We engineers took over and did what we knew how to do. (Not as good or as safe I suppose) but people seemed to understand that things are not all perfect when people go on strike.
I’m a software engineer who worked full time the entire time I was in college getting a CS degree. Most of those years were in a warehouse where I, among other things, worked a forklift and a cherry picker pulling orders. And for years my time at church has involved some fairly physical volunteer work often outside in the heat, keeping me in shape. I’m pretty sure I could work the forklift and other warehouse jobs again if I had to.