@Hoss @Nepiant unions aren't all powerful, they need to secure contracts like everyone else. there are always non-union shops around and licensing is highly variable. where I live there is no official licensing scheme for electricians, for example

these guys aren't like medieval guilds where they literally have trade secrets nobody else knows. it's all on youtube. and that's the other side of the coin, who's gonna be paying high tradie rates when half the jobs disappear? a lawyer might think nothing of paying a plumber $500 to fix a dripping faucet but when he's been unemployed for 18 months he'll do it himself for the cost of a new washer. or he'll just live with it