In my line of work, you can make as much or as little as you like, given the grimy nature of the job and the small number of competent people available to do it. I work with guys who used to be on the line at Ford, and some of them pick up the kind of quick money they say is hard to get in a union setting. Indeed, a lot of these guys are real anti-union. This bothered me until I worked with a few union guys who were used to half-assing it, taking numerous breaks, phoning in "sick" an hour or two before they were due to work. I can see why a lot of working class people hate unions, especially when they can make more money with a small company. Mind you, I'm still pro-union. But in my experience here, some of the laziest and sloppiest workers have been shaped by what one colleague calls, "That fuckin' union mentality."
DP