Make it Personal
To me you have to look at it from your personal perspective. I left a contractor I worked for approx. 5yrs to go into local union. Like a lot of guys thought the grass was greener on the other side. Spent 2yrs in the union, laid off 3mos or so each year. I was lucky enough to keep a good relationship with previous employer, so he actually put me to work when I was laid off. I was putting a ladder on the van when my foreman called me to go back to work. Thanks ,but no thanks.
I ended up back working non-union and can't complain. For me it was less money per hour, but I'm steady with OT,co. van, cell phone, etc. so it balances out I guess. Another factor was having a little more input and the way I was viewed by my employer. In the union your more like a lemming or worker bee.
I do pay an arm and a leg for healthcare and I cringe every time I get my annuity statement from the union. I save for retirement but I'm not sacking away the same kind of coin I was getting from the union. I was also married with a kid so my financial responsibility was probably more than you have living in the basement, so I needed to be steady. If I was 21 I may have stuck it out.
You gotta weigh your pros and cons. I also had a job waiting for me. I place a good amount of value on work environment and I like and respect the guys I work with. They're a good group of the same guys everyday not a rag tag bunch that varies from job to job like some union gigs. Just sharing my personal exp in a similar situation.
Good Luck