You sound like a $12/hr truck driver.
That’s pretty short sighted. 5 years is no time, and if you want to get paid more you need to have knowledge you can offer an employer. $12/hr to start as an apprentice sounds like decent money to me! Over the course of 5 years you get scheduled pay raises. At the end of those 5 years no matter what trade you get involved with you’ll be making around $30/hr. Then you’ll have a REAL TRADE with REAL SKILLS that you can offer an employer! If you stick with a labor union you will get a real pension, which basically ZERO employers offer now, good health insurance, and a camaraderie with your fellow tradesmen that nobody outside of a construction trade union can understand.