Union pay is almost always higher than non union. I live in a state that is very anti union and you sound like most anti union companies that want to pay a shitty wage. I've been a member of several unions over the years and they all were better paying jobs.
Unions cut their own throats along with every throat around them.
Unions are corrupt and support corrupt politicians and bankrupt states, companys and tax payers,
Just look what happened to General Motors, and Chrysler ,Look at the government employees unions around the country and what they have done to state budgets and the tax payers.
Union construction companys in many cases price their labor so high they cannot compete in the open market place without government favoritism and corruption,
So tell me do you like government corruption?
Working my way up through the ranks ive worked for a lot of companys that treat their employees like shit,
I wish I could tell you what a happy medium is, at one end of the spectrum you have the unions, that over charge and cannot compete in the free market place, at the other end of it you have shitty companys that pay their employees like shit and treat them like shit with the owner of the company getting fat on the labor of their employees, One employee makes around 50 bucks a hour in wages and bennies at the other end you have a guy who earns just enough to keep them alive and paying their bills.
I have found the union does not have your best interest in mind and neither does the non union company, the only person that has your best interest in mind is YOU,
So ive always been a mercenary SOB, what id do is ask for a fat raise from the company I work for, if I didn't get it id go to another company and merc them for more money, then go back to the company I worked for and quit and tell them I just got a raise from the other company, then normally at that time they would offer you more money to stay, (screw them you wernt worth the money when you asked for it ,but now that you are leaving you all of a sudden are worth more,Move on to the next company then do the same to them.More money or I move to another company,
Keep in mind you cant pull this off unless you are really good at what you do,
and you cant do it at all at union companys because they pigeon hole you into a spot you cant get out of,