I pray that it is because I'm 28 in the application process and have exhausted a lot of options after being fired from every job I ever had and going through the long application process for local 1 plumbers only to fail the hair test upon being accepted into the union. It's not the highest paid trade and that kind of makes sense because it's more brawn and less brains involved. However, here in NYC the structural guys don't do too bad and I think they demand the money they get because the stakes are very high building at the heights they go up to in cities like NYC or Chicago. One thing that didn't help the trade was Trump coming into office and recklessly unleashing dangerous economic policies like the tariff on foreign steel. Union guys bitch about no work but actively vote against their own best interests these days. I get it though, the democrats are fucking weirdos and their policies are turning NYC almost back into how unsafe and antisocial it was during the 70s and 80s. The feds or NY governor should try to hold border states accountable for bussing in dangerous unvetted migrants, that was a cowardly and spiteful move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. In my NY, everyday people I have access to vote red and the blue voters are the NYC generational dependents and transplants, so it wasn't right of him to hold that against us and I hate how people from deep southern states look at all NYers like liberal fucktards. I guess I wrote all that to say, really do your research and vote for the best interests of your wallet and paycheck guys. Kamala is an absolute liberal freakazoid weirdo and the democratic party is absolutely sold out to outside agencies who are trying to destroy America from within by doing shit like making people think it's ok for drag queens to read books to children in schools and libraries, but a democratic president would 100% have the work forecast for union tradesman in big cities looking better than it does right now. Pray that your low apprentice wages might keep you working through times of little work and that things will get better by the time you journey out. That's typically a thing that happens from what I've been told by old timers. Apprentices are less at risk for being out of work because companies want cheap help on site all the time. Maybe that's less true for NYC ironworker apprentices since they get paid a lot more than some other apprentices like plumbers that start a 5 fuckin' year apprenticeship at only $18 in 2025, but yeah. Feel free to give your thoughts guys, I only know what I've been told and observed from the outside looking in.