To be fair, I don't want to do any of the shit I mentioned when I'm 50 unless it's for one of my rentals. Life's too short to trade your time for not much money and $200k was what I made after about 5 years at one of the big 4 (think that one firm that worked for that one company that did something around 2008). COVID really opened my eyes, it's all a racket. We got nearly 800k in forgiven loans for our rental company lolI think you're confused about the trades.
Most Union workers retire in their 50s with a VERY VERY Healthy pension, massive company matched 401k, several rental properties and ZERO college debt. The ones working beyond that are doing it because the jobs are good, the health care is phenomenal and they're making 200-250k a year and see no need to quit when they've got it great and enjoy what they do.
I don't know any Union Electricians crawling under houses. Then again, I work in the power industry. Not in residential Construction.