My last experience with a Union is when I played a night with the Louisiana Hayride Band at the famed Municipal Auditorium. It wasn't the musicians union though. When I pulled up and started unloading a guy came up and said "I have to take that in for you". I said fine. Then when he got it inside I started to plug it in and another guy said "I have to plug it in for you." I said fine. No charge that I know of. At the end of the night, they were all gone--had to unplug that baby and carry it out myself.
It was for the Teen-age Miss American pageant so I'm sure SOMEBODY paid.