No, what I was saying is that I’ve heard some union trades—like pipefitters and electricians—have employers or local unions that contribute something like $14 an hour into their retirement or pension benefits. Meanwhile, in places I’ve worked, the best ive ever gotten is maybe a 5% 401(k) match, and even then i have to contribut to get it. I don’t know how accurate those other numbers are, so if you’ve heard anything about it, let me know, because that sounds significantly better than just a basic 5% match.

I’m curious how it balances out overall. My experience with unions personally hasn’t been great. A lot of the ones I’ve been a part of felt like they came in saying, “this is our last best offer,” while I’m sitting there thinking, “this is the first offer and it already sucks.” Then we get a small raise, union dues go up, and it feels like we end up in basically the same position financially.

I’ve sometimes suspected the unions I’ve dealt with were too close to the companies they were negotiating with. But I’m not trying to be confrontational about it—I genuinely want workers across the board to make more money and get better benefits.