I know. My father was a fireman for the railroad. When they went to diesel, he hated not being of use, although he could have, and gotten paid for it, but at a somewhat advanced age, he studied for his engineers' exam and passed handily. He wanted to work for his paycheck, not just collect it.
I can vividly recall reading an article in Business Week magazine in the 70’s about a Ford engine casting plant located in Birmingham, AL. The workers went on strike and no agreement was on the horizon. Ford told the workers that if they refused Ford’s final offer, then Ford would shut the plant down and cast the engine blocks outside the U. S. The union rejected Ford’s offer and the plant was shut down.
It wasn’t about the welfare of the workers, but the jeopardy that Ford presented to the union brass. The workers lost their jobs, but the union brass just moved on to another location.