Every year, San Francisco parents shell out tens of thousands for college tuition — or watch their kids take on crushing student debt — while some of the best-paying careers in the city don't require a four-year degree at all.

San Francisco's union trade workers command some of the highest pay rates in the country, and for good reason. The cost of living here is brutal, and skilled labor is in serious demand. Electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, elevator mechanics — these aren't fallback careers. They're pathways to genuine middle-class stability in a city where that's increasingly hard to come by.

The numbers speak for themselves. Prevailing wage rates for many SF trades land well into six-figure annual territory when you factor in hourly rates, overtime, and benefits packages that would make most tech workers jealous — we're talking real pensions, not just a employer match on a 401(k). And unlike that philosophy degree, an apprenticeship pays you while you learn.

As one Bay Area resident put it: "Would definitely recommend more young people go into trades instead of college." Hard to argue with that math.

Here's the thing that drives us crazy, though: the city's own bureaucratic machinery often works against these very workers. Permitting delays, regulatory tangles, and politically motivated project slowdowns mean less work gets done, fewer apprenticeships open up, and housing costs keep climbing because — surprise — we're not building fast enough. You can't pay tradespeople well if you won't let them work.

The fiscal conservative case for union trades is straightforward. These are self-sustaining career paths that don't require government subsidies or taxpayer-funded loan forgiveness programs. Workers invest their own time, build real skills, and earn market-rate compensation. It's the free market doing what it does best — rewarding people who create tangible value.

If San Francisco is serious about affordability and economic mobility, the conversation shouldn't start with more government programs. It should start with getting out of the way and letting skilled workers build — literally — the city we need.