True enough. The men who had great jobs in the 50s had frequently been soldiers in the 40s. They'd been raised in the 30s during the great depression. They'd been through hardships. It was their kids who grew up in relative luxury. I'm sure some of it was pulling the ladder up after themselves. But, in addition they hadn't had to fight to establish their union, it was just there when they joined the job. Because of that, they didn't know how important it was, and so they didn't know they should be fighting to keep it strong.