In my line of work there is no such thing as backing off a task for being ahead of schedule.  It's all about bringing the well online. I'm not sure how it is in other industries but with anything having to do with oil/gas it's all about how fast it can be done safely.  And like I mentioned I work along side union guys and 90% of the time it takes (or is "required" per their contract) them longer to complete.  I'm no stranger to any of this.  I watched a paper mill and a tire plant close in my hometown in the late 80's basically because it had gotten to the point where guys sweeping the floor were making $22/hr with unheard of benefits while the median income outside these plants for highly skilled non-union labor was lucky to see $15/hr.