Not to get a financial argument going, but if I remember correctly, you could get crazy returns on interest rates for CD’s back in the day as well. Not the case nowadays. Same situation for a 401k today as well. Unless you have a company match for a certain percentage of your 401k, they are pretty much useless when it comes to saving for the future. Unfortunately, most young people are not concerned with saving for the future until later in their careers. So I would dare to guess that most people in a driving or any other blue collar job have a 401K that they have contributed to for more than 25 years. Let alone 40 plus years like you are suggesting.
Healthcare is another area that young people ignore early on until a tragedy occurs and they then realize a supplemental plan would have been a good idea. Once the tragedy occurs, it is too late and you are out-of-pocket for thousands if not hundreds of thousands.
That is why I am thankful for the pension and healthcare provided by the collective bargaining agreement that I work under. I may not bring home as much at the end of the week as my friend that works for his employer with no company provided pension and little to no healthcare. But, at least I know that when a tragedy strikes or I am ready to retire, I am better off than most.