Is this really at discretion of the individual Union local?
Unindentured apprentices are hired at times when work is good and they don't have enough apprentices to man the work. Either it is a temporary surge in work or a new apprentice class won't be hired for a wile to fill the void. Tis way when work slows down there aren't too many people on the book. It's a balancing act. There is no guarantee that a person will be accepted to the program just because they are working unindentured although it definitely doesn't hurt.
