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Celebrating 120 Years of Proud History T his book of the history of our Union, “The Iron Workers 120 Years,” is dedicated to all the members who have come before us. We stand on the shoulders of men and women who had a vision to create a union for the betterment of not only our members but society as a whole. Our history is to be a guide and a blueprint for our future, where we learn from our mistakes and champion and improve on our accomplishments. Our members will continue to make history building projects that are essential to North America’s health and well-being and will keep advocating for policies on behalf of workers for safer and better working conditions. The Iron Worker’s Union should take great pride in all we have accomplished to date and know we are helping write our next chapter from the work we do going forward.

FIRST EDITION ONE CENT THIS WEEK THURSDAY, FEBRUA.RY 6, 1896. TEI PABES• ACLUII llJOIITY, ,.:!~ jt, 11-1!.ATOJII Pl..ll'(,,-·~\\rtOl -.r.• -'aC t :o a • ccT. • ttr 0-)1 ,.,1111. THE WAGE SCALE .............,. A ti,et.-,..•tlf' l'•r·•- STRUCTURAL IRON WORKERS ARE ... t_,.. V,_... -•.- A4••C-4 ~r NOW DISCUSSING IT. .......,.. ~•• t• 'rll>• PITTSBURG MEN RECEIVING THE HIGHEST ... \"'·~••• RATES JUST NOW - AN EFFORT wI.•,•.•. •.:-•-L-a-i• ·••,.•.•...·..\"·\"\"' \". M••tl• - •·• ••1I-'•--•111n,.- TO BRING OTHER CITIES INTO LINE • 1llo.- A•·--••'rl t• FATE OF ' TRUE UNIFORMITY\" •• .n.\".\"...,111, 11• ,,.. NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE COMMITTEE OF TEM. OTHER LABOR NEWS. The ddcsata attcodiog the structural iron worker• con. vent.ion iD Moorhead'• ball will likely hue more or lea trou• blc before tht buit of a • age tulc it '-Breed upon. Tbi.s morn. iogt session wu largely devoted to a consideration of tbc sub- ject. No definite c:ooclusi.ons h.avc bcca tt.achcd u yet. The bitch CKCur• by tc.uoa of the diff~cnccs io the wage and hours of work in the vuioua: cities affected by the orga~ nU.ation just formed. la Pintburg the men rccc.ivc S2.15 pc,r d1y £or nine hours' work. uid it tuupiiu tbd in cities file BD-ffalo and CJcvclaod. but 52.50 1 day i, being J)Ud. Many delegate, favor dcauod.i.og $J for I cish• bou.r work cby, but the question it whether in view of ntc, ia 01bc1 citiu. th.it dc.ouod u.o be ani.cd but. The Pi11sburs wo:rkcrs do oot catt to coO\\e dowo to the bdia tlu.t exist cI.cwhete:, h.c.ncc the di,co.uioo. It i, altogeth- er likely that men in other cities will aupport the Pittsburgcrs io upboldiog wagct. The coovc.otioo .,ilJ proNbly remain in scnioo u1othcr day. ~ there ~\" auoy other importut questions a-.&itiag actioo. At yetterday after-0000'1 xssioo the orgWutioo wu for- ,:naUy ~t!cctcd.. Tbc Bridge B\"jJdcn a.od Structun1 lroo Workers of Atneriu d the iwne given to it. The followi.cg o££iccn were ch.o.scn: Edwud Ry&a, of Bos-too. P,Hidenr: J.W. Budy. New York. a..od C.H. Hu.oa, CJevcla.nd, vice p,ujduu: fa.mes C. Crowley, of Chicago. sc«ctary aad trcuuttr; George W. Cca.ry. of Chicago, nation.al orsu.iz«: Edwa.rd Ryu. J.W. Kelly of New York, P.J. D ahoo of Chicago, David McKelvey. of Pinsbu,g. MO. Trec:tcr. of Clevebod. ••d P.J. Mc.lotytt:. of Buffalo. c:x.«utivc comlllittce.. ..,_ no.;., ._.,,.,., ..._\"\"-niL ftJ. .iflllll.llE IIWl,r. . . . . ~ ~=:..-T'O-:- ...0.. FORMING A UNION. Structu ral I ron Workers H erc to Discuss an Organization The stt uctu.raJ wo dtcr. o f tbe country .met in tho city ycsterclay 1 0 Corm a nation.al u.oioD. The meet ing wu called origiully fot the Jut • «Ir. in J•nuuy. but •• the Press oudincd at the rime, a po,rponCJllen.1 u.otil yc.atenby wu d«ided upo11. C bic.ogo was n:presentcd by Seuetuy P.J. D.Jtoo, George W. Gcuy •nd J•mes C. C ro•ley. Cleveland by J•mcs and Robert Teeter •nd Samuel Bruy. Buff.Jo by J.T. Rutter, P.J. Mc.lntyre ud Mich•el Hanno. Ne• York by John Br•dy, Willi= Bmy •nd J.W. Kelly. Bo.ton, Ed,.•rd Ryu. Tbe Pittabu,g dclcg•tes were M. Cronin, Pn:sidcnt Dnid McKclvey and William Mullin. At the ptc.limiuty session President M. CorJ.nd. of the Atn•Jg...,.tcd usod,tioo, •ddreHed the delegates on the adv.i.nu.se• of organii.atiou aud save some helpful suges-. rion.s. It is probable the new association w iU ~omc •ttached to the Ameri<:•n Fedcr,tion of L.bor. Tbe clele- S&tc.a reported the .ftrcngth of their respective orgaoizatioo u follows: Ne• York. 1500; Cb,cogo, 700: Cleveland. 350; Buffalo, 300; Boston. 500; Pittsburg. JOO. The Chicago dcleg\"u n:ported that their member, n:ccive $3 • cloy for eight hours work. The dcleg\"es expect to be in Pittsbu,g until next S.tu,cby. The commltt« on consti- tution and by-J.,rs ,rill teport to-day.•

• • t all began on Tuesday, February 4, 1896 when delegates from Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, New York City, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, met at Moorhead’s Hall at the corner of Second and Grant Streets in Pittsburgh. Many of the delegates stayed at the nearby St. ICharles Hotel at the corner of Third and Wood Streets. They had originally planned to begin their meeting the last week of January, but certainly the weather and traveling conditions at that time must have partly accounted for the delay. Although our Union was founded on that day the story of the struggle of work- ers in North America and in the world has been a long one. Let’s examine that strug- St. Charles Hotel, 3rd & Wood Streets, Pittsburgh, gle in order to understand the problems where delegates to the founding Convention stayed on we face today. February 4, 1896. •• ' ------ Moorhead Hall, Second & Grant Streets where delegates met. iii

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Acknowledgements This book was originally written by General that provided valuable information for the comple- Vice President Raymond J. Robertson as a com- tion of this book. memorative for delegates attending the 39th International Convention which celebrated the I would like to thank Richard T. Rowe, Local 63, Centennial of our International Union. Many of Chicago, Illinois, for the many hours he invested in our brothers, sisters and friends from throughout this new edition so future generations of iron work- the United States and Canada aided in compiling ers will have an accurate accounting of the ten years all of the historical information needed to complete following our centennial. Many of the names have this history of our great organization. changed in this latest chapter, but the skill, dedica- tion and courage that make Ironworkers the special In 2006, General President Joseph Hunt decided family they are remains the same. that a new revised edition of The History of the Iron Workers Union should be printed with an additional Joseph J. Hunt chapter covering the years 1996-2006. I consider it General President an honor and a privilege to be assigned the task of IABSORIW documenting some of the events that have shaped our union in the first decade of our second century. This is the third edition of A History of the Ironworkers Union, and its intention is certainly Special recognition has to be given to individuals not to change or rewrite the fine work that has come who helped with the original volume, University of before it, but rather to complement and update the Illinois Professor Emeritus William J. Alderman, text as it stands. Every decade welcomes a fresh Past Editor of the Ironworker Magazine Martin T. new influx of members and witnesses a new wave of Byrne, General Organizer Mike White and brothers retirement. This most recent effort to document the William “Red” Collins and James J. Clark. people and events that shape our lives as union members is meant to continue to honor our past, The 2006 edition would not have been possible recognize the reality of our present and aid us all in without the help of Executive Director of forming our vision of the future. Apprenticeship and Training, Mike White, Senior Training Advisor for IMPACT Dr. Rick Sullivan General President Emeritus Walter Wise was and Editor of the Ironworker Magazine and responsible for the genesis of this project, and it Executive Assistant to President Joseph Hunt, received no less commitment and recognition of Tadas Kicielinski. its importance from General President Eric Dean. And of course, throughout the project has been Any reader of this book will know that our union the guiding hand and constant encouragement of has survived many hardships since our founding Executive Director of Apprenticeship and Training convention in 1896. Each time we have emerged Lee Worley. stronger. Since 1996, when this book was originally written, our union has faced and overcome many The concerted efforts and contributions of busi- challenges. With an emphasis on organizing, train- ness agents, business managers, district council ing and protection of our jurisdiction and through presidents from across the United States and programs like IMPACT, General President Hunt Canada, Iron Workers department heads, staff and has placed the International Association of interns are the reason this revised edition of the Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing book has become a reality. It is a reminder to us all Iron Workers in a better position to meet the chal- that a cooperative spirit, recognition of one anoth- lenges of the future. er’s talents and a firm commitment to excellence will often result in a finished product unattainable Richard Rowe #859262 by any individual. Being asked to participate in Business Agent/Organizer the completion of this new chapter of our history Local 63, Chicago, IL was the unparalleled highlight of my career as an ironworker, and an opportunity for which I will The original History of the Iron Workers Union always be grateful. consisting of this International’s first 100 years of existence was compiled by General Vice President Bill Hohlfeld #1114291 Raymond Robertson with the help of Martin T. Labor Management Coordinator (Retired) Byrne, Editor of the Ironworkers Magazine, as well Local 46L (New York) as numerous local union officers, and old timers

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A HISTORY OF THE IRONWORKERS UNION Contents Introduction Celebrating 120 Years of Proud History– by Eric Dean............................................................ i Acknowledgements.............................................................................. v The text of the centennial history of the Iron Workers Union includes rare photos and engravings of our union and the American labor movement as they developed together over the last century. The illustrations accompany the text, as it tells the day-by-day events and issues that formed our International Association. Chapter One Setting the Stage ................................................ 1 Chapter Two The Birth of Our Union .................................... 15 Chapter Three The Turbulent Years –1906 Through 1912 ...... 39 Chapter Four The Conspiracy Trials and Aftermath ............. 55 Chapter Five The Beginning of the Morin Era ...................... 71 Chapter Six The Depression and a New Deal For Labor– 1930-1940 .......................................................... 89 Chapter Seven World War II and the Post-War Struggles– 1941-1952 ........................................................ 109 Chapter Eight Ironworkers Grow in the 1950s ..................... 127 Chapter Nine John H. Lyons, Jr. Elected President ............. 141 Chapter Ten The Tradition Continues– 1977-1988 ............ 171 Chapter Eleven Pathways to the 21st Century Under the Leadership of General President Jake West.. 199 Chapter Twelve We Will Never Forget ...................................... 241 Chapter Thirteen A Time Of Transition ...................................... 300 Gallery International Officers 1896-2006.................... 354 Directory Local Union Directories of Yesteryear ........... 370



Chapter One Setting The Stage A Historical Perspective dates back to 459 A.D. and is known as the Sardis Leading Up To The Building Trades Agreement. An American archaeolo- Birth of Our Union gist, W.H. Buckler, while digging at the site of the ancient city of Sardis in what is now modern Turkey, In the last few years we have all heard discovered a very large gray marble slab with an people say, “Unions were all right in inscription on it. When Buckler translated the inscrip- the past, but we don’t need them tion he was surprised to find it was a collective bar- today.” However, from the earliest gaining agreement between the local Roman pro-consul times workers have organized, and the Sardis Building Trades Crafts. This marble demanded training in needed skills slab was hardly the kind of contract that you would and their democratic rights on the job. carry around in your pocket. As long as selfishness and greed exist in this world It seems that the city of Sardis was experiencing a unions will always be needed. building boom, and contractors were finding that there was a shortage of labor. This put construction It is also true that the history of the Ironworker goes workers in the position of being able to demand high- back to even biblical times. In Genesis, Chapter 4, 22, er wages as they moved from one contractor to anoth- one of the descendants of Adam named Tubal-Cain is er. The Roman pro-consul then negotiated a collective described as the instructor of workers in brass and iron. bargaining agreement. This would make him the very first ironworker appren- Although this is the earliest ticeship instructor. agreement that has been found certainly even earlier An article on apprenticeship written by General agreements must have President Jake West in the May, 1993 issue of The existed between workers Ironworker mentioned the following: and employers. With the collapse of “The world’s first written code of law, the the Roman Empire new ‘Code of Hammurabi,’ named after the King of means of protecting Babylon in the 18th century B.C. included the workers developed dur- formalization of the training which we identify ing the Middle Ages. This today as apprenticeship.” new system was the Among the Greeks and Romans, Vulcan was the god “Craft Guilds.” of fire and iron. He was often portrayed as a blacksmith Everyone in a partic- standing by his anvil. Due to their resistance to corro- ular field in a town or sion, objects of utility and decoration, fashioned from district belonged to a brass, bronze, gold, silver, etc., are still in existence as guild. Ornamental iron- records of the early civilization which produced them. workers had such an The iron works of ancient peoples, however, have long organization. The mem- rusted away, but we know from the earliest written bers drew up the records that iron was in common use. statutes of the guild, The earliest known labor-management agreement elected their own offi- Ornamental Ironworkers belonging to cers, and paid dues. the Craft Guilds designed and fabricated Once a guild was orga- wrought-iron window grilles in the 15th Century. 1

However, after the 14th century the masters gained control of the guilds and refused to allow journeymen to join the ranks of the masters. The journeymen then formed “journeymen guilds” and they engaged in strikes in order to gain higher wages. Thus was born the prototype of our modern trade unions. Former General President John H. Lyons Jr., wrote the following in the September, 1975 issue of The Ironworker. “One very important early American was the Iron Worker, whether he was known as a Bridgeman, Blacksmith, ‘Mechanic’, Rigger, or Housesmith...They erected bridges of heavy wooden timbers, using primarily rigging skills with ropes, blocks, rollers and skids as their tools. We know, for example, the first ironworks was built in 16l9 north of Jamestown and con- tinued in operation until the workers were killed in an Indian raid.” The first iron bridge was built by Abraham Darby The Iron Bridge. The first bridge in the world to use iron as the basic con- in 1779. It crosses the Severn at Coalbrookdale, struction material, was built in 1779. Shropshire, England, and has a span of about 100 feet, rising to a height of 50 feet. It is built of cast- iron ribs hinged at the springs and the crown. Even nized only its members could work in that field. with this development, iron remained unsuitable for Members included the master, the apprentices, and the general bridge construction. Not only was it difficult journeyman. The theory was that after years in a trade to obtain a reliable enough supply of cast iron, but the a journeyman would become a master. brittle quality of the material precluded its use in tension. The only form in which cast iron could be An article in The Ironworker described the way the system worked: used successfully was in “In medieval England, the form of an arch, which apprenticeship agreements is always in compression. called indentures were made This Iron Bridge is a between master and appren- national monument in tice. The English word ‘pre- Great Britain. tence’ or ‘apprentice’ came into American workers would use during this time; it derives not have the industry or from the latin word apprehen- skill for such iron construc- dere, ‘to lay hold of.’ tion, and at this time The relationship between bridges in the colonies were master and apprentice was built of either wood or much like parent and child, stone. Even a wealthy with the master’s authority planter like George extending to every phase of the Washington could not get apprentice’s life; the master the skilled carpenters to provided food, clothing, hous- The first cast iron bridge located in Brownsville, Fayette County, build his home. Mount ing and tools. He taught the Pennsylvania was completed in 1836. Vernon is actually a “pre- trade and instructed in ethics, morals and proper behavior, usually for a period of seven years. At the end of training, the apprentice had to develop a ‘masterpiece’ as a final exam. If he passed he became a ‘journeyman.’ When he could pay the necessary fees and could set-up his own shop, he became a master.” The colonial iron indus- Once an apprentice finished his training he would try, long restricted by become a member of his craft guild. At their height, the British regulations, guilds performed many of the same functions that unions perform in America today. They engaged in polit- quickly geared up and ical action to secure liberties for their members and the produced vital products for the American cause. Large foundries and small workshops community. They regulated trade and industry and pro- employed many skilled vided education for their members. They helped sick workers doing a variety members and provided them with a decent funeral. They were involved in both the artistic and religious life of tasks. of their communities. 2

fab”. All the sections were constructed in England and a difficult four years because of an economic depression. then shipped to America. He was pro-worker and while working as a lawyer in New The colonial iron industry, long restricted by British regulations, produced vital products for the American York State he had fought to end imprisonment for debt, cause. Large foundries and small workshops employed and he was a champion of universal suffrage. He also got many skilled workers doing a variety of tasks. These his home state to pass a Mechanics’ lien law and reform workers were actually some of the first Shop the militia system. Ironworkers. At Fredericksburg (Virginia), production began very quickly. Thousands On March 31, 1840, President Van Buren of new muskets were made and others issued an executive order establishing a ten- repaired between 1775 and 1782. hour day for federal employees working on The Westham foundry, near public pro- Richmond, was larger and took jects. He also ordered that they should longer to begin operations. By receive no reduction in pay. This idea March 1779, the Shop had been suggested to him by vari- Ironworkers began to turn out ous groups of mechanics and labor- mill gudgeons, flat irons, ers. Conservatives attacked Van sledge hammers, spikes and Buren for establishing a danger- ous precedent. But Van Buren replied that workers needed nails. Production of cannon more money to balls, grape and canister shot “enable him to provide com began in April. By fortably for himself and his September, cannons were (family) and to educate his being cast. children.” The war’s demand of mili- The first all metal bridge tary hardware sparked a flur- built in America was a mod- ry of investment in new plants est cast iron arch with a and stiff competition for scarce span of labor. The boom, however, last- eighty feet consisting of five ed only as long as the war. tubular arch rings. It replaced Within a year after hostilities a ended, all the major ironworks in suspension bridge built by James Virginia and others throughout the Finley around 1807-10. The new nation had shut down. bridge, designed by Captain By 1786, workers’ organizations Richard were beginning to spring up. In New Delafield to carry the National Road York, printers organized. Philadelphia across Dunlap’s Creek at Brownsville, printers engaged in the first organized Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was com- strike in the history of the new nation, John Augustus Roebling pleted in 1836 and, quite remarkably, and they gained a minimum wage of $6 (1806-1869) has survived until the present. Although a week. In 1794, during the middle of it has been strengthened, the original Washington’s term, the Federal Society bridge castings, which carry the busy of Journeymen Cordwainers of Philadelphia, an organi- main street of the town, can still be found beneath the zation of shoemakers, was formed. Twelve years later roadway. this union was tried for criminal conspiracy after they dared to go on strike. The charges were (1) combination to raise wages and (2) combination to injure others. The The Introduction of union was found guilty and fined. The union became Wire Rope to America bankrupt and disbanded. This court decision established a precedent that was used against other unions in the John Augustus Roebling who would later promote years to come. and design the Brooklyn Bridge, was born in Mulhausen, Germany in 1806. He studied civil engi- It should be noted that no permanent union could be neering at the Berlin Polytechnic Institute. Roebling established in America because British common law still came to America in 1831 where he tried farming for six prevailed, and unions were regarded as “conspiracies in years but in 1837 he went to work for the Pennsylvania restraint of trade.” Workers were still denied the right to Canal Company. Canal barges crossed the mountains on vote in most states even though they were citizens. You inclined planes like cable tramcars. They were pulled up had to own a certain amount of property, pay a certain and down by hemp ropes 6 to 9 inches in circumference. amount of taxes or have so much money in the bank. These ropes were a mile long and cost $3,000 each. The problem was that these ropes often frayed and broke. In the spring of 1828, the first labor party in America Roebling witnessed one of them breaking and causing the was founded in Philadelphia by the Mechanics Union. death of two men. They ran workers for public office, and they referred to Roebling remembered that wire ropes were being them as “Worky” candidates. In that same year, General Andrew Jackson, “Old Hickory”, was elected President of the United States. used in Europe. In 1842, he developed such rope and received a U.S. patent for the “Methods of Manufacture When Van Buren became president in 1837 he faced 3

was brought in to rebuild it. In that same year, Ellet was awarded a contract to build a span of 750 feet at Niagara Falls, New York. By flying a kite he finally got two cables across the span. He then covered them with planking, and got his name in the paper by riding a horse across. He went into the business of charging people a toll to walk across, and pocketed $5,000. This was not the kind of bridge his employer wanted, and they sued him. Eventually, John Roebling got the job and in 1855 he built the Niagara Bridge. This was the first suspension bridge to carry train traffic. A key factor in American prosperity would be faster and faster means of transportation. Ironworkers and other trades would be the ones that provided this. The following figures show how travel time was shortened: Philadelphia Type of Time to Pittsburgh Transport 1812 Stagecoach 6 Days 1834 Canal Boat 3 Days, 19 Hrs. 1854 Train 15 Hours Making of Wire Rope. of Wire Rope”. Now the farming community of Cast Iron Used As Saxonburg, Pennsylvania became an industrial town Building Material with the founding of Roebling & Son. In 1849, Roebling would move his factory to Trenton, New Jersey. Wire Cast iron construc- ropes from this company would be used by our mem- tion is recognized bers in the 1930’s during the construction of the today not only as the Golden Gate Bridge. forerunner of the steel framed skyscraper, but Roebling would eventually become exclusively a also as an early exam- bridge builder. Since he worked for a canal company at ple of prefabrication this time, he built suspension aqueducts that carried and modular design. barges across mountain valleys. When the canal era The use of cast iron for ended he would go on to build other types of bridges. bridges led some archi- tects to see what could Railroads and New Types of be done to utilize this Bridge Construction material in building construction. Soon the railroads were replacing the canals, since The first person they were faster, cheaper, and could be used year who used iron as a One of Badger’s cast-iron building fronts round. By 1860 there would be a total of 30,793 miles building material for erected in Albany, New York for J. Kidd of track laid. New types of bridge construction were the exterior was Daniel Construction Company in the 1850’s. required for these heavy trains, and early Ironworkers would build them! D. Badger. In the year 1842, Mr. Badger erect- The three leading bridge engineers of this period ed, in the city of Boston, the first structure of iron ever were Charles Ellet, Jr., Captain James B. Eads, who seen in America. He also erected cast iron buildings in would build the Eads Bridge in St. Louis, and John Albany, New York. Most of the cast iron was used only for Roebling, whom we have already discussed. the fronts of the buildings. James Bogardus was another individual who Probably the least effective engineer, but the most designed cast iron buildings. Although there is some colorful was Charles Ellet, Jr., who studied in controversy regarding his claims, it is said that France. He was particularly interested in French Bogardus invented the first complete cast iron edifice suspension bridges. In 1840, he would build a sus- ever erected in America, or in the world. His patent was pension bridge at Fairmont, Pennsylvania. It was for the “construction of the frame, roof and floor of iron 357 feet long, but it had no stiffening girder and buildings.” In 1850, Bogardus built a factory completely vibrated in the wind. However, it did remain in ser- out of cast iron. Cast iron buildings were usually limited vice until it was replaced in 1874. to five stories due to the weight of the material and at that time the elevator had not been invented. In 1847 Ellet built a 1,011 foot span at Wheeling, West Virginia but it later collapsed and John Roebling 4

was produced satisfactorily and more economically by the open hearth method after Siemens teamed up with a Frenchman, Pierre Emile Martin. The Siemens- Martin process, as it is known, soon became the favored method and has remained the basis for the modern steel industry. The factory of James Bogardus, inventor and patentee of cast iron buildings. Bridge Construction After the Civil War It is the first building ever erected completely from cast iron. Bridge builders like Charles Ellet, Jr., Captain James B. Eads, General Sooy Smith and John Roebling gained experience prior to the Civil War. Sadly, many workers would die from some of the mistakes that were made. Many of these early bridges were canal aque- ducts, but by 1861 the era of canals was ending. Also, steel was replacing iron as the material for construction. Captain James B. Eads would build one of the three steel bridges that was built between 1874 and 1883. He would build the steel arched Eads Bridge in St. Louis =====~-=-:::::::::;; .::::::::::::::,:::::..:...,,. The Early Production of Iron and Steel The Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri, completed in 1874. Like cast iron, steel was used as a structural materi- al for bridges before it was used for buildings. The which was completed in 1874. This double-decked objection against steel for bridges appeared to rise more structure took five years to complete. The bridge was from a lack of knowledge on how to use the material 520 ft. over the Mississippi River with approach spans than from any deficiency in its quality. of 502 ft. on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the river. Eads would support the bridge by sinking huge Cast iron, though a marvelous material, has one caissons into the river bed. Little was known about the great disadvantage. It is very brittle - it will hardly dangers of doing this and on March 19, 1870, an bend at all without cracking, therefore, this clearly lim- Ironworker died as a result of “caisson disease”, which ited its uses. Since very early days men had been aware of the comparative advantages of wrought iron and is known today as the “bends”. steel, but the making of steel in particular had always Although the Eads Bridge been a lengthy process. This changed in 1855 when the Englishman Henry Bessemer patented a process for was built in part with steel, making steel cheaply and in quantity. the first truly all steel bridge would be built by General While Bessemer was developing his invention, William Siemens was at work on the so-called open- Sooy Smith in 1879 in Glasgow, Missouri. It was hearth method of making steel. built for the Chicago and Siemens, working with his Alton Railroad over the brother, developed the Missouri River. At first regenerative furnace in which the hot gasses there was a great reluc- of combustion were tance to use steel. Iron used over again to had earlier replaced tim- heat the air ber as a construction blast. Steel One of Bessemer’s early steel converters. 5

material, but there was fear of using this new lighter be his son, Washington Roebling, who would make this material known as steel. Engineers at first thought it bridge possible. might crack or be too brittle and break in the cold weather. But General Sooy Smith used this material, In 1867, John Roebling successfully completed a and the Glasgow, Missouri bridge became the first to be bridge at Cincinnati across the Ohio River. He also entirely built of steel. This bridge would remain until would build, about this time, the Sixth Street Bridge 1902 when it was replaced because of the need for a in Pittsburgh across the Allegheny River. But his wider span to deal with the heavier railroad traffic. great dream was to build a bridge over the East River to connect New York City to the then separate The Building of City of Brooklyn. the Brooklyn Bridge At this time the City of New York felt they had no It would be the Brooklyn Bridge that would stand need of such a bridge to Brooklyn. However, the offi- out as one of the great engineering achievements of the cials of the small City of Brooklyn felt it was vital to 19th Century. Also, many of the men and their sons who their future growth. Brooklyn at this time was a very worked on this bridge would become charter members of wealthy and very religious community. Many of the cit- Local No. 2 in New York City. izens did not want to pay higher taxes or to be connect- ed with what they considered the urban evil present in It would be the genius of John Augustus Roebling New York City. that would promote and design this bridge. But it would However, the winter of 1866-67 changed the minds of people on both sides of the river. The East River froze and no ferry boat could cross. All commerce came to a Founding of the Knights of Labor A fter the Civil War white northern workers found that their situation was little bet- ter than the former slave laborers that they had fought to free. Things did not get better when a recession hit the country from 1866 to 1868. When garment workers in Philadelphia spoke up and tried to improve their conditions they were fired and black-list- ed by their employer. The leader of the Philadelphia garment workers, Uriah Stephens, a former minister, felt that a new labor organization needed to be established. Because workers could be black- listed by their employers if they knew they were union members, Stephens felt that mem- bership should be kept secret. In December of 1869, Stephens created “Local Assembly 1” with the high sounding name of the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. Stephens knew Greek and had been a member of the Masons. Like the Masonic Orders, Stephens created for the Knights a number of secret rituals which the perspective A lithograph showing Knights leaders grouped around a portrait of Uriah S. Stephens, founder of the organization. Left to right are William Cook, James Wright, Robert Maculey, ,, member had to learn. This included a secret James Hilsee, Robert Keen, and Joseph Kennedy. ,, handshake, passwords, and countersigns. Members were never to refer to the organiza- tion by name. They called it the Five Stars. All meetings were announced by symbols chalked on sidewalks intoxicating liquors, and professional gamblers.” The membership grew slowly at first. The structure was in or fences. Members promised to defend the life, interest, “Local” and “District Assemblies.” Like the later C.I.O., members reputation, and the family of all other members and never could be in a variety of trades both skilled and unskilled. to reveal the name of the organization or the names of fel- At first skilled craft unions did not come in together and have low members. their own Assembly, but this changed in 1879 when the Window The cardinal principal was “to form a union of all wage- Glass Workers of America joined and became Local Assembly workers irrespective of race, creed or color”. Even house- 300. This local gained control of almost the entire window glass wives could be members of the Knights but not... industry in the United States. The local even sent organizers to Great Britain and Belgium to organize. The Union lobbied in “..lawyers, bankers, stock brokers, dealers in Congress successfully for the passage of the Foran Act of 1885 to 6

halt. Now even the State of New York saw the need for a bridge. The New York Bridge Company was set up in September of 1867 with the State of New York providing some of the funding. The orig- inal cost was to be seven million dollars with com- pletion by 1870. But some state officials and engi- neers did not have faith in John Roebling’s design and final approval was not given until 1869. John Roebling was standing on some pilings near the Fulton Ferry docks, waiting for a signal to fix the position of the Brooklyn Tower of the bridge. He was concentrating so hard on his work that he failed to notice that a ferry boat was about to crash into the pilings. He lost his balance and his right foot was crushed between the pilings he was standing on. An incompetent doctor amputat- ed his toes without using the proper antiseptic, and he developed tetanus. John Roebling died on July 22, 1869. Brooklyn Bridge stop the importation of contract labor. Sadly, this law provided ducer cooperatives” that they would own. Then the prob- for no federal inspector and was therefore not enforced. lems of apprenticeship training, justice on the job, shorter Three issues would create dissension with the Knights of hours and higher wages, and child labor would be solved Labor. The first was the secrecy. It had helped the organization by the workers themselves. in the beginning, but it back-fired on them after the “Molly However, the Knights found themselves involved in a ,,,, Maguires” incident, another supposedly secret organization number of strikes for wage increases and shorter hours. ,, which was verified in the conservative newspapers. Also, the Some were won but most of them were lost. In 1882, ,,,, Catholic Church at first condemned the Knights because there Chicago bricklayers, who were affiliated with the Knights, appeared to be some religious elements in their secret cere- went on strike and they won. However, the following year ,, monies. However, in 1881, Stephens was replaced as Grand 4,000 telegraph workers that were members of the Knights Master Workman by Terence Powderly, a Catholic and the son of lost their strike. Irish immigrants. Powderly ended many of the secret rituals, and The downfall of the Knights would begin in 1886 with the Vatican and the Catholic Church in the United States and the movement for the Eight-Hour-Day. Powderly did not Canada in 1887 finally favored recognition of the Knights. support a general nation-wide strike on May 1, 1886. Then, The Knights grew rapidly after the abandonment of the when the Haymarket bombing and the infamous trial took secret rituals. By 1884, there were 52,000 members and two place, Powderly washed his hands of the entire incident. years later 700,000 with many waiting to join. However, a Samuel Gompers and the newly formed American second issue divided the membership. What should be the Federation of Labor would support the nation-wide strike organization’s role in regard to and supported the Haymarket “political action”? Powderly Martyrs. Ironically, the Knights approved completely of all politi- were blamed by the press for cal activities. He had been active the Haymarket Affair even in the Greenback-Labor Party and though they had nothing to had been elected Mayor of do with it. Scranton, Pennsylvania for three More and more workers two-year terms. But many of the would leave the Knights skilled trade unions, that would because of Powderly’s indiffer- later form the American ence. This was especially true Federation of Labor, supported the of the craft union members. idea of work place action for wage By 1893, the membership of increases and shorter hours with the Knights had dropped to no political involvement either only 75,000. Powderly local or national. resigned as Grand Master The third issue that divided the Workman and in 1896 he membership within the Knights supported the Republican was the use of strike action by Party and its candidate for trade unions to achieve their goals. president, William McKinley. Powderly believed that strikes for President McKinley rewarded wages and shorter hours were not Women were welcomed into the Knights as members of separate Powderly in 1897 by appoint- the real problem facing American assemblies. About 200 of these groups were affiliated when this ing him United States and Canadian workers. Powderly picture was taken at a national meeting in 1886. Commissioner General of Immigration. believed workers must form “pro- 7

• • Washington Roebling Takes Over After the death of his father, Washington Roebling became “Chief Engineer” of the Brooklyn Bridge. He was only 32 years old at the time but well qualified to carry on his father’s work. He was born in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania in 1837. After his father’s company moved to Trenton, New Jersey he attended school there. He studied engineering at our Washington A. Roebling nation’s best school at (1837-1926) the time, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During the Civil War, Washington Roebling served in the New Jersey Militia building military bridges. After the war, he and his wife, Emily, went to Europe where he studied the new uses of steel as well as pneumatic caissons. When he returned, The Molly Maguires he worked with his father on the bridge over the Ohio at Cincinnati. When he took over his father’s project he and the brought with him new ideas. He would modify consider- ably his father’s design of stiffening girders for future Plight of the Miners traffic, and he favored an all steel design. Washington Roebling was concerned about the Iron- workers and other laborers that worked on the bridge. The big problem was the caissons that had to be sunk Our Union has always been interested in the plight into the river beds for the two bridge towers, one on the of American miners. The early copies of The New York side and the other the Brooklyn side. The Bridgemen’s Magazine were filled with articles caissons for the New York tower had to be sunk 78 feet about the low wages, long hours, unsafe conditions, and the use of child labor in the mines. below water level. The men working on It is understandable that our Union would be interest- ed in the miners, since they mined the coal, that would lHf ~RIDGfMf~'S MAGAil~f this project were get- be turned into coke, that would be used to produce the ting the same “cais- steel, that would go into the bridges and skyscrapers son disease” that the workers on the Eads that we would build. Another reason our members were ·--~JOHN A. ROEB..L...I.N,...G..,.'.S.,.,_SONS CO. Bridge at St.Louis interested was the fact that eventually the mines would be owned by the same businessmen that owned the had experienced. steel mills and companies like American Bridge that were SVSPENSION BRIDGES Three men died sink- trying to lower our wages and destroy our Union. ing the caissons and 107 had to be given Miners began organizing in the anthracite coal field medical care. as early as the 1850’s. In 1862, during the Civil War, Washington Roebling Irish miners in Pennsylvania organized. Their organiza- went down with the tion was known as the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Like workers, and he too the early Knights of Labor, membership was kept secret was stricken and because of the hostility of the mine owners. When the Civil War was over the mine owners decid- ed to break every union in the anthracite coal fields, crippled for life! especially those in Pennsylvania. Anti-union newspapers During the early suddenly began to print stories about a secret organiza- tion called “The Molly Maguires” that was terrorizing ROEBLING WIRE ROPE stages of construc- the mine owners. Such an organization did exist in tion, Roebling & Sons Ireland. “Mollies” organized to stop the encroachment STANDARD FOR A LI., PURPOSES wire rope was used for walkways, trav- ·•D --· ••• -~·· •• TRENTON. N. J. continued on page 10 ellers, and other preparatory work. Bridgemen’s Magazine By April of 1877, the • • October, 1903 first of the suspen- 8

sion wires had been bridge's single span was 1,595 1/2 feet long and clear- ance above the water was 133 feet. strung from anchor- The official opening day was May 14, 1883 and on age to anchorage that day 150,000 people walked across the bridge. President Chester Arthur spoke at the dedication. The over tops of the tow- President then took the entire dedication committee to the apartment of Washington Roehling to honor him and ers and the wide his wife, Emily, for their achievements. A plaque was placed on the bridge giving credit to Emily Roehling for expanse of the river. her work, as well as, that of her husband. Unfortunately, no plaque lists the names of the many Wire by wire, the workers who built this bridge or the names of those who died on the job! cables grew until the A walk on the promenade of the Brooklyn Bridge became one of New York's last wire was added favorite pastimes. in October of the fol- The Homestead Strike of 1892 and How It Affected ronworlkers lowing year. They Five years after the execution of the Haymarket seemed like giants, Martyrs, another event took place in the Pittsburgh area only four years before the founding of our the four great cables Union....The \"Battle of Homestead\". each measuring Ironically, the same steel companies that would later try to break our Union were involved in the destruction almost sixteen inch- of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AAISW), which had organized many of the es in diameter. workers in Andrew Carnegie's Homestead Mills. Though they look The Amalgamated Association was founded in August of 1876 by the merger of three existing unions: tiny beside the much The United Sons of Vulcan, that were iron puddlers; the Associated Brotherhood of Iron and Steel Heaters, greater cables of Rollers, and Roughers; and the Iron and Steel Roll Hands of the United States. When they were founded recent bridges, the they only had 3,775 members, but by 1891 they had grown to 25,000 members in 290 lodges making them Brooklyn Bridge The New York anchorage of the Brooklyn one of the most powerful unions in the country. cables represented Bridge with two bridge towers in the back- Both Andrew Carnegie and his business partner and one of the greatest ground. chief lieutenant, Henry Clay Frick, wanted to get rid of unions in all their steel plants. Although Carnegie had advances in bridge allowed the union to exist at Homestead for many years, he now gave the go ahead to Frick to lock out all the engineering history. They carried a much longer span than any that had been previously built, and they also stand as the first example of the application of steel wire to bridge con- struction. The wire cables of earlier bridges had been made of iron wires, however, for the first time galvaniz- ing was used on the bridge suspension steel wires of this bridge as a means of protecting the wire. After 13 years the bridge was finished. Some author- ities said that between 30 to 40 workers had been killed, but surprisingly no statistics were kept at that time. Newspapers reported the death of over twenty workers so we are sure of that num- ber. Two workers were killed when one of the wire cable strands broke loose from Ii:~--::_:j1 the New York City ~206~ - - - - ---sidetower. By 1883, the ,, ; - - - - - two stone towers of the bridge l.ti -.~[€1~~§~\\:,1 dwarfed the other ,j I buildings of New lronworkers making cable for the Brooklyn Bridge (1878). As the wires were bound together into strands and lowered into place, the strands were, in turn, bound together to form manageable bundles. Eventually, all 19 strands would be joined, but the first step was to bind up what was called the core - the seven middle strands. 9

union workers on June 29, 1892, one day before the Chicago for 300 private guards. union contract expired. The men were paid by the ton- nage produced. Frick demanded that the price be set at Ironically, a number of students $22 dollars a ton and not the $25 that the union requested. Although the company claimed that workers at Northwestern University, earned as much as $12 to $14 dollars a day, in reality at the time of the strike 1,177 workers averaged $1.68 to just north of Chicago, saw $2.50 a day, and another 1,625 averaged $1.40 or less a day. The company claimed they had the right to make Pinkerton's newspaper ad for an additional 15% profit, and they should get a greater profit based on the new machinery that they had summer jobs and signed up installed. not realizing what was in Frick feared that the workers might storm the plant and take it over, so he erected a three mile long wooden store for them! fence topped with barbed wire around the plant. He also built sentry towers at strategic points for sharp- The 300 Pinkertons, shooters. armed with Winchester rifles, Frick contacted the Pinkerton Detective Agency in were taken by train to McKees Rocks on the Ohio River just below Pittsburgh. On July 5th, they were put on two steel com- pany barges and floated up the Ohio River, then to the Monongahela River, and on to Andrew Carnegie Homestead. (1837-1919) Aware of their coming, a crowd of about 5,000 including • Hugh O'Donnell, one of the union leaders, and even John McLuckie, the Mayor of The Molly Maguires and the Homestead, took over the plant. Then they gathered Plight of the Miners, continued along the river bank as the barges approached early on the morning of July 6th. A battle took place and by 5 p.m. 13 had been mortally wounded. The Pinkertons finally displayed a white flag agreeing to surrender in Ireland of Protestant landlords. It was part of the cen- their weapons in exchange for safe passage. tury old conflict between Catholics and Protestants. American mine owners saw this as a convenient label to However, the feeling of the crowd of men and women give to the militant union miners. of Homestead was bitter because of the death of seven One of the most anti-union mine owners was Franklin B. Gowen, president of the Philadelphia and Reading men. As the Pinkertons came ashore they had to walk Railroad and its subsidiary, the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. Gowen hired James McParlan, up the hill to the railroad station through a gauntlet of a Pinkerton detective, to infiltrate the union and find out the names of their members. townspeople. Women and children armed with sticks, Certainly there was some violence in the mine fields, umbrellas, and rocks attacked the Pinkertons. Some but most of these incidents took place after the Pinkerton detectives arrived. Many of the actual victims children threw mud. Some of the Pinkertons later stat- of the violence were not mine owners but union leaders and ordinary miners. ed that this gauntlet was more terrifying than the earli- In the fall of 1875, twenty-four men, most of them er battle. actually members of the Miners' and Laborers' Benevolent Association were brought to trial. The evi- The workers were now in control of both the plant dence presented against them was totally fabricated. This trial was not unlike the McNamara Trial that was and their town. However, six days later Frick convinced used by business to try to destroy our Union in 1911. Many of the men who testified against the Union were the Governor of Pennsylvania to declare martial law and Pinkertons, like James McParlan, or criminals who were given immunity for their own crimes. The evidence was send in the state militia. Union leaders were brought to confusing and contradictory, but 14 of the men were sent to jail and 10 were hanged . trial because of the attack on the Pinkertons. Scabs One of the men that was hanged was john (jack) were brought in, and the plant was reopened with mili- Kehoe, a leader of the Workmen's Benevolent Society. He was kept in solitary confinement for two years and tary protection. By the end of 1892, 2,000 strikebreak- then executed on Dec. 18, 1878. One hundred years later in January of 1979, Governor Milton Shapp of ers had been hired, the union had been destroyed, and Pennsylvania would sign a bill posthumously pardoning Kehoe. The pardon was based on new historical evi- only 800 of the original 3,800 employees were rehired. dence proving that he was innocent. The evidence showed he was framed by the mine owners in order to The Homestead Strike ended unionism in the steel stop the growth of the union movement among their workers. industry for the next 44 years. Although our Union would try again and again to organize workers in steel plants, it would not be until Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's and the passage of the Wagner Act that steelwork- ers in the mills would finally organize under the C.I.O. • Unionism Grows In Chicago Chicago continued to be a strong union town even after the Haymarket Affair. At one time 25% of orga- nized workers in America could be found in the Chicago area. One of the early groups to organize would be the structural and architectural ironworkers. Many factors contributed to unionism among iron- workers in Chicago; for example, the Chicago River which passed through the central city and then broke into North and South Branches required wooden and 10

Founding of the American Federation of Labor T he American Federation of Labor was originally called the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions or FOTLU for short. It was founded in 1881 . After a series of small discussion meetings in the summer of 1881, a convention was held on November 15, 1881 in Pittsburgh. It would be in this same city 15 years later that the Iron Workers Union would be founded. Attending was a total of 107 delegates of various craft unions such as the Printers, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, the Molders, Glass Workers, Cigar Makers, Carpenters, and various delegates from local assemblies of the Knights of Labor. The opening paragraph These men were the Executive Council of the Federation of of the call for the convention read as follows: Organized Trades and Labor Unions, predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. Left to right are Charles Burgman, Samuel \"Fellow-workingmen: The time has now arrived for a Gompers, Richard Powers, William H. Foster, and Alexander Rankin. Rankin was the president of the powerful Iron Molders Union. more perfect combination of Labor-one that will concen- trate our forces so as to more successfully cope with con- centrated capital.\" Samuel Gompers of the Cigar Makers Union was elected chairman of the Committee on Organization. Gompers' committee suggested that the new organization be 1. Compulsory education of children; 2. Prohibition of child labor under age 14; limited only to skilled 3. Uniform apprenticeship laws; 4. Enforcement of the National Eight-Hour Law; workers of the United 5. Prohibition of convict contract labor; 6. A mechanics' lien law to guarantee you would be paid; States and Canada. 7. Repeal of conspiracy laws against unions; 8. Establishment of a Bureau of Labor Statistics; Gompers' committee 9. Government regulation of railroads and telegraph wanted to change the companies; 10. Reclaim lands given by the government to the name of the organization railroads that were not used for that purpose; and to the Federation of 11. Prevent importation of foreign contract laborers. Organized Trade Unions and drop the word \"Labor\". After the vote the name remained unchanged. However, at another con- vention in Columbus, Ohio All of the above seemed revolutionary ideas at the time in December of 1886, the but eventually most of them became a reality. Today name was changed to the attempts are being made to turn-back-the-clock, and take American Federation of away some of the protection that labor has won . Labor. It was at that time Although the AFL was in some ways similar to the Knights that Samuel Gompers was of Labor, it would differ in that it was made up of skilled elected president. Samuel Gompers - trade unions. Gompers, as president, fought for shorter However, they agreed to President of the recognize their founding hours and more pay within the capitalistic system. The American Federation of Labor. Knights wanted more workers to engage in cooperative ven- date as November 15, tures and to be more involved in politics. 1881, based on the date of AFL buttons, then and now, have the name of the union the establishment of FOTLU. This is why the Centennial of very large at the top and AFL-CIO (after 1955) very small at the AFL-CIO was celebrated in 1981 and not in 1986. the bottom. Those of the Knights of Labor would have the Our Union and the entire American labor movement organization's name very large at the top and the have been responsible for so many of the things that union ... Mechanics, Molders, etc.... very small at the bottom. Americans today take for granted . They do not realize how Under the AFL more of the power was in the + hands of the specific union and less in the hands long and hard we struggled to achieve some of these of the national or international organization. reforms. The original Platform of FOTLU in 1881 called for the following reforms: 11

later iron and steel bridges to connect the vari- Baron Jenney who developed this type of con- ous parts of the expanding city. struction. When Jenney died in 1907 an The first horse car lines were laid out in a article about him and this building \"loop\" which is now the downtown area of appeared in the July, 1907 issue of The Chicago. As the land value increased in this Bridgemen's Magazine, pointing out the area, the only way to go was up, and there- importance of this pioneer structure to fore the \"skyscraper\" and \"steel skeletal\" the growth of the union. Part of the arti- construction would begin here. In addition, cle read as follows: the invention of the elevator made it possi- \"Mr. Jenney's first important work ble to build buildings higher and higher. as an architect was the application of Another factor was the Great Chicago the skeleton construction now in gener- Fire of October 1871. Any type of wooden con- al use throughout this country. In the struction would not be allowed in the down- fall of 1883 he was appointed architect town area and for some distance outside of it. for an insurance company of New York This meant that new types of fireproof City and instructed to prepare construction had to be developed to pre- William LeBaron Jenney designs for a tall, fire-proof office vent future fires. The law required iron, In 1884 he started an important era of building to be located on the north- and later steel, construction. architectural vitality by designing the east corner of LaSalle and Monroe first metal skeleton skyscraper, the Home Streets, Chicago, Illinois. The The first building to use the new Insurance Building at LaSalle and type of fireproof construction was the Monroe Streets in Chicago. requirements were of such a nature Home Insurance Building built between that it was necessary to depart from 1884-85. It was designed by William Le ET Probably no single event has done more to influence \"We are peaceful,\" Samuel Fielden reportedly told the police a few minutes the history of labor in the United States and even the before the Haymarket explosion. During his trial, however, it was asserted world. It all began with a simple rally on May 4, that he urged workers to attack the police. 1886, but the consequences are still being felt today. Association and various ethnic iron worker unions of that day. To understand what happened in Haymarket Square in This solidarity shocked some employers, who feared a workers' Chicago on May 4, 1886 it is necessary to go back to the revolution, while others quickly signed agreements for shorter fall of 1884 when the Federation of Trades and Labor hours at the same pay. Unions (FOTLU), the predecessor of the A.F. of L., met in Chicago and called for May 1, 1886 to be the beginning of On Monday, May 3, the peaceful scene turned violent when a nationwide strike for the eight-hour day. This was not a the Chicago Police Department attacked and killed picketing particularly radical idea since the State of Illinois and workers at the McCormick Reaper Plant on the city's southwest Federal employees were supposed to be covered by an side. It was this attack that provoked a protest meeting which eight-hour-day law since 1867. The problem was that the was planned for Haymarket Square on the evening of Tuesday, federal government failed to enforce its own law and, in May 4. Illinois, employers forced workers to sign waivers of the law as conditions of employment. While the events of May 1 had been well planned, the events of the evening of May 4th were not. Most of the speakers failed With two years to plan, organized labor in Chicago and to appear. Instead of starting at 7:30 pm, the meeting was throughout the nation sent out questionnaires to employers to see how they felt about shorter hours, piecework, child labor, and other issues. Although perhaps a simplistic solu- tion to unemployment and low wages, the \"Eight-Hour- Day Movement\" caught the imagination of workers across the country. In 1886, the City of Chicago had one of the strongest labor movements in the country. Chicago had a large German population and many of them had been socialists in the old country. Also, many Chicago workers had fled the eastern cities when their unions were broken and they were \"black listed.\" Once in Chicago they were ready to fight rather than move again. On Saturday, May 1, 1886, reportedly 80,000 workers marched up Chicago's Michigan Avenue, arm-in-arm, singing and carrying the banners of their unions. The unions most strongly represented were the building trades, and among them certainly were the Bridge Builder's Mutual 12

the usual arrangements that The Home Insurance Building constructed in but made possible the formation of were in style in building con- 1884. Note: The two upper floors were our International Association. struction at that time. To meet added in 1890. all these new and untried propo- This pioneer steel structure, the sitions Mr. Jenney decided to Home Insurance Building was torn substitute iron and steel for brick down in 1931 to make way for the and stone, and the structural Field Building, which is now known steel building of today is the as 135 S. LaSalle Building. The Field result of his fertile brain.\" Building would also be built by our Union and completed in 1934. In The columns in the building were 1995, of the ten tallest buildings in of cast iron. The riveted columns of the world, seven are located in plates and angles were thought to be Chicago. too expensive. It was in this building that the first Bessemer steel beams A final factor in the growth of were used. They were manufactured unions in Chicago was the develop- by the Carnegie-Phipps Company, ment of the railroads and the fact who stated that these beams were that Chicago was a transportation the first to be used in building con- center. This meant there was a need struction. This departure from old for the construction of numerous methods not only introduced steel viaducts and railway bridges of skeleton construction to the world unique types that would not ~ interfere with the river traffic. \"\"l('\"\" The E\"ght-Hour Day Movement delayed for about an hour. Instead of the expected 20,000 peo- tion. The A.F.of L. delegate recommended that a day be set ple, fewer than 2,500 attended. aside to honor the Haymarket Martyrs, and the day that Although Mayor Harrison who attended the meeting had told was selected was May 1st. Today, almost all the major the police to leave, the minute he was out of sight, the crowd industrial nations of the world, including Great Britain, now numbering only about 200 was attacked by 176 policemen Germany, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Israel and all the nations carrying Colt Lightning revolvers. Then someone, unknown to of Central and South America have May 1st as their \"Labor this day, threw the first dynamite bomb ever used in peacetime Day\". Only in the United States and English speaking in the history of the world. Canada is this day not honored on May 1st. The police panicked, and in the darkness many shot at their After the Haymarket Affair, unions throughout the coun- own men. Eventually seven policemen died, only one directly try found themselves under attack. Management used the accountable to the bomb. At least four workers were killed, but Haymarket bombing to stereotype all union members as there may have been more since bodies were dragged away in wild-eyed bomb throwers. Even the meaning of the word fear of police harassment. Hundreds of labor leaders were arrest- \"anarchist\" was changed from the original ideas of Plato ed and all union newspapers were closed down. and Socrates, of a world without armies, or police ...a kind Eventually eight men, representing a cross section of the labor of \"Utopia.\" The new meaning became \"someone who movement, were selected and brought to trial. Only two of the wanted to destroy everything men were at the Haymarket Square through violence.\" that night. Three of the men were Although the Knights of Labor sent to Joliet State Penitentiary and continued, its days were num- five were condemned to be bered. The fact that Terence hanged. On November 11, 1887 Powderly had turned his back on four of the men were hanged. One the Haymarket Martyrs, and had died in jail prior to the execu- failed to support the \"Eight- tion. Hour-Day Movement\" had disil- Two years later the Haymarket lusioned many workers with that Affair would take on world-wide organization. And the fact that dimensions. In Paris, France in July Gompers had come to of 1889, Samuel Gompers and the Springfield, Illinois to plead with American Federation of Labor sent a Governor Ogelsby for the lives of delegate to the World's Fair held in the Martyrs, gave great credibili- that city to celebrate the centennial ty to the craft unions and the of the French Revolution. It was at The law vindicated - four of the Chicago anarchists pay the new American Federation of that time that the 934 foot Eiffel penalty of their crime. Tower was built, proving the possi- +Labor. bilities for iron and steel construe- 13



Th Bi 0 DI•OD n the late 1880's, steel \"Cowboys of the Skies \" of courage and strength, later gave had virtually replaced thought to such things as provisions for wood and stone as the sickness, injury, or death to protect primary load-carrying their families. Primarily for these rea- material in the erection sons, delegates from independent of bridges and build- unions in the major cities met in ings. This abrupt Pittsburgh, and on February 4, 1896, change in structural materials brought the International Association of Bridge about a demand for a new type of skill and Structural Iron Workers of America required of the working man. Practically was established. After a few years of overnight, bridge carpenters became fierce struggle, our Union was fully rec- \"bridgemen\" and blacksmiths became ognized and took its rightful place \"housesmiths\" and \"architectural iron among the older and prominent trade workers.\" As soon as American historian unions in America. Frederick Jackson Turner proclaimed the end of an era for the American Frontier, However, the formation of the Ironworkers became known as \"cowboys International Union is only part of the of the skies\", sharing the adventure and early story of the Ironworkers. The fact excitement which frontiersmen and that the independent unions had been explorers had enjoyed previously. in existence for some time was, indeed, But the glamour and the appeal of the an interesting part of that story. A clos- new skill had its drawbacks for the er look at two of these, one in Chicago young man looking for a stable and and the other in New York, will illus- secure profession. For one thing, natural trate some of the complexities involved. death was looked upon with suspicion. For about $2.10 a day for ten hours work, Because of the danger of their work, the Ironworker in 1890 was expected to many Ironworkers lost their lives, there- climb narrow steel beams six, sometimes fore as early as the 1880's Chicago Iron- seven days a week in all kinds of weather workers formed the Bridge Builder's conditions. The accident and mortality Mutual Association. The Association rates were higher than in any other consisted of a loose federation of 20 men trade at the time, resulting in a high interested in giving each other a decent turnover of workers on any one job. burial in the event of death on the job, Since steel erection attracted only the and supporting one another in times of most daring of independent men, little sickness and injury. As they began to or no thought was given to the need for see the need for defending workingmen's formation of an effective union for their rights against the encroachments of protection. Nevertheless, many of these sometimes ruthless contractors, this eligible bachelors, admired from a dis- mutual aid federation was no longer tance below by the \"wholesome young adequate. Also at this time a demand girls\" of the Gay Nineties for their feats was created for structural Ironworkers, and many of the old bridgemen answered the call since they would _ _ _ _ __,,....,....z..wr.,.~..~- ~ -.,......_.,.........._w..-.r.\"\"m\"\"ra-v\"\"\"\"a-...,._...,..____._~.•..,.·---,..a,,.,__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,..m.....,,_..,,.._.....,.\"\"\"\"\"'\"'\"\"\" 15

employ essentially the same skills on buildings as they George W. Geary said: would on bridges. \".. it finally Therefore, in 1890 our Association became known as dawned upon the \"Bridge and Construction Men's Union.\" One of the members of these men, George W. Geary, who later became known the craft of as the \"Father of the Ironworkers,\" spearheaded this both sides Union. He stated: that while we were \"A State charter was procured and we sailed fighting out in the waters of Trade Unionism, deter- each other, mined to protect the rights of each member of the the craft, do justice to the Employers and con- Employers trol the industry.\" were realiz- ing the bene- However, as has happened so many times in fits of the American labor history, workers were fighting each quarrel and other. Another association known as the \"Architectural the members Iron Workers\", working not only in shops but also on the were paying the new skyscrapers, was in competition with Geary's cost.\" union. For two years they fought each other. Finally in 1892, the Bridge George W Geary and Construction The Father of the Bridgemen's Union Men's Union was ''-( ( ' / ; ,·.,,.. ~ dissolved and .{ -!3 ;••l ., f /U\" became the \"Bridge and Structural Iron Workers ,(,, ,,,,.f.t ,.-( ,,..J C).,tr,,.~·t.l:....:1 Union\" consisting of 2,700 members. Today that ,} I ( i ;- 1 (' , ,.. 1 ,:,•.( , C ,( X (?.n1/ , , group is Local No. 1 of the present day International , Ct ') : ,,.. / I I ,.., j r;~ ;; '7 ( (.)f l Union. >/ , ;,.r/l / i 1 2 The Architectural Iron Workers Union was still a / ill I .~f JI separate organization. In 1890 they were made up of ,, ,'; /; , r(.._<\"·1 .I 17,.,...,,..../ ._r/,') )1 '~(·.,r7 :r✓v three separate ethnic locals ...a German branch with I /. d i,,c! 1,,,..., 1.. --1 1/.,I l~('/,J 1 279 members, an English branch with 198 members, f.(I' ; / 1\"' /r c (i' '{ fl )I I ; : .,· (1-J/f .~ ; ; C and a Bohemian branch with 102 members. As (J ,,.,,,,l/.1 ,-~, :,1,I, skilled workers they had some of the lowest wages in Chicago when they were organized on June 5, 1890. They ranged from 17 1/2 cents to 25 cents an hour for a ten-hour day. In 1891, with a membership of 1,500, the Architectural Ironworkers went on strike for higher wages and shorter hours. But they were defeated. They again went on strike during construction of the I Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and ·-l this time they won the eight-hour day. However, j hard times followed the Exposition and until 1896, j- ?:;\"£_,d,t,,u.i # oJ IrJ, few men, engaging in architectural ironwork, ;~1---;./6'. ,1i)<1.-.vplui - remained in the union. The Architectural Iron Workers Union of Chicago would loose members over the next few years. On December 27, 1900, they became Local No. 14 of the United Metal Workers International, but finally their President, O.H. Hill, would bring them into the Iron Workers International in 1903 as Local No. 63. Samuel Gompers was one of the speakers on the first day of the Exposition. The topic of his speech was \"What Does Labor Want?\" Gompers stated that labor wanted the eight-hour day and perhaps even shorter hours in the future, better pay, and better edu- cational opportunities. Labor wanted \"more schools and less jails, more learning and less vice, more leisure and less greed.\" His remarks were well received. Minutes of the Architectural Iron Workers -April 23, 7893. 16

Organizing In New York City and Other both unions stood !Eastern Cities united in their last- In April of 1886, 10 years before they would help to organize our International Association, a small group of ditch effort against German-American Ironworkers assembled in Herzog's Hall on East Fifth Street in New York City and orga- the employers, the nized the Locksmith and Railing Makers' Union. All business was transacted in the German language. By Housesmiths, five June of that same year a branch of the local was started in Brooklyn. By 1889, they achieved a membership of months later, sought 120, and they affiliated with the \"Eight Hour League\" of theA.F. ofL.. to strengthen its hand In March of 1890, the name of the organization was and became the changed to the Architectural Iron Workers' Progressive Union (AIWPU). An English speaking branch and Housesmiths' and Jewish branch were organized with a total membership of 400. This was followed by another German branch in Bridgemen's Local No. Hoboken, New Jersey. 2 of the International. Like their fellow workers in Chicago before them, they struck in 1891 for the eight-hour day, but they When Parks first were crushed. The AIWPU and the Housesmiths' Union were both dissolved. Management used new immi- arrived in New York grants as strikebreakers, and it became difficult to orga- nize. Neither group of workers had the strength to get he found that together and apply for a new state charter until 1893. Ironworkers were Shortly after each was reorganized, \"Fighting Sam Parks\" assumed leadership of the Housesmiths. In 1895 receiving only $2 per both took a militant stand against the Employers and held out once more for the eight-hour day. Although day, and many were signing year-long con- tracts that turned Sam Parks them into slave labor. Under Parks leader- and his dog, \"Arbitrator.\" ship he would double the daily rate to $4, and restore the strength of the union despite attempts by big business to destroy him and his reputation. The Architectural Iron Workers Union of New York did not affiliate and remained separate. On June 28, 1900, 300 of their members were locked out by the Architectural Iron Workers Employers' Association. At that time they had a treasury that by today's standards would be considered quite substantial. Nevertheless, six months later they were in debt. The Employers' Association appar- Ferris Wheel-1893 Columbian ently was able to Exposition erected by lronworkers. obtain the use of the in Chicago Illinois. State Militia and other military orga- nizations, because in July of 1901 a reso- lution was passed not to take such men into the union. A year later the pre- dominately German union adopted English as the offi- cial business lan- guage, and again, like their Chicago tradesmen, chose a different direction and became Local No. 50 of the United Metal Workers' International. This proved ineffective and finally, to protect their existence in the shops, the Architectural Iron Workers Union drew up an agreement with the 17

View of the shaft and hub of the Ferris Wheel during dismantling in 1894. 1, Frank Steel; 2, James McCabe; 3, Tom Downs; 4, W.J. McCain; 5, Assistant Engineer; 6, Deli Goodsell. lronworkers who dismantled Ferris Wheel in 1894 in Chicago. Housesmiths of Local No. 2 of the International, promis- Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, New York City and ing not to do outside work. This led on November 11, Pittsburgh assembled. Later, the Pittsburgh Leader 1902 for them to become Local No. 42 of the stated that delegates had been expected from Detroit International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron and Philadelphia as well, for the five-day meeting. Workers of America. The Pittsburg Press listed the sixteen delegates who attended the organizational convention as: Ed Ryan of Our Founding Convention Boston; John T. Butler, Daniel F. McIntyre, M. Hanna of Buffalo; George W. Geary, James G. Crowley, Patrick Ironworkers were also organizing at this time in J. Dalton of Chicago; Emil and Edward Treter, and Pittsburgh, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Cornelius Brady of Cleveland; John Brady, William Philadelphia. They began to communicate with each Barry and James W. Kelly of New York; David McKelvey, other and decided to meet in Pittsburgh the last week of Michael Cronin and William Mullin of Pittsburgh. January 1896, but this was later postponed until the fol- lowing week, perhaps because of weather condi- ~-------------------------~ tions at that time of the year. Moorhead Hall in Pittsburgh where first Convention was held in 1896. The choice of Pittsburgh as the founding con- vention city was not only practical (centrally locat- ed) but it was symbolic as well. Where would be a better place to build a national or international brigemen's union than in the City of Bridges? One of the local papers (The Leader) reported the day before the convention that \"more bridge builders are employed here than in any city in the country.\" The story further reported that Geary would try to establish headquarters in Chicago (but) \"the choice is between Pittsburg and Chicago.\" Representatives from six cities answered the call to convene at Moorhead Hall in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, February 4, 1896 to organize an International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. The following day, the Pittsburg Press reported that sixteen delegates from Boston, 18

The out-of-town delegates cussed by the delegates. One of stayed at the nearby St. these issues was the possibility of Charles Hotel at the corner of establishing a uniform wage rate for Third and Wood Streets. On all the locals, but this proved impos- Tuesday, February 4, 1896 sible. While Pittsburgh they gathered at Moorhead Ironworkers received $2.75 for a Hall at the corner of Second nine-hour day, Buffalo and and Grant Streets to begin Cleveland received only $2.50. the founding of the Workers in Chicago worked eight International Association of hour days. They decided to drop, Bridge and Structural Iron for now, the idea of a uniform wage Workers ofAmerica. scale, and work for the eight-hour On the first day of the con- day that the Haymarket Martyrs vention the delegates selected had died for and concentrate on David McKelvey, president of St. Charles Hotel, Pittsburgh where delegates stayed during organizing. the Pittsburgh local as presi- the first convention. Various obstacles faced their dent of the convention. organizing effort. The employers, Patrick Dalton, of Chicago, was selected as secretary. particularly the large contractors, did not like having Each of the delegations reported their \"estimated\" their Ironworkers organized and there was a shortage of membership, as follows: Boston, 500; Buffalo, 300; steel shapes that often delayed jobs. In addition, the Chicago, 700; Cleveland, 350; New York, 1500; and International officers were not full-time paid officials. Pittsburgh, 350. (The rounded figures suggest the dele- Very little time and energy remained after the officers gates guessed at short term potential membership). put in their full day's work on the steel. If they had not At the opening session President M. M. Garland, of lost their will and strength to run a union at night or on the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Sundays, they certainly didn't have the financial means Workers, offered congratulations to the new Bridge and for the necessary communication and transportation. Structural Iron Workers Union. President Garland A 25 cent per capita tax was levied each month, but stressed the advantages of organization and recom- most locals did not have the funds to pay into the mended that the new organization affiliate as soon as International, nor was there an established headquar- possible with the American Federation of Labor. This ters. Each year the International Headquarters moved would give the new organization additional strength as to the home of the elected Secretary-Treasurer, and if he well as solidarity with the union brothers in the build- would move, so would the headquarters. All this while ing trades. the local union's major concern was with their individ- On the second day the permanent officers were select- ual incessant struggles with various employers' associa- ed. Edward J. Ryan of Boston became our Union's first tions. In its first four years of existence the President, and John Brady was elected First Vice- International barely survived. President. M. Hanna became Second Vice-President, and James G. Crowley, Secretary-Treasurer. George Geary Who Were Some Of The Delegates That became the National Organizer. Chosen as Executive Board members were David McKelvey, James W. Kelly, Attended The Founding Convention? Daniel F. McIntyre and Emil Treter. It seems that at the end of the first day the Cleveland delegation returned Let's look at some of the 16 delegates who attended home because their local had gone out on strike. our founding convention and what happened to some of During the next three days many issues were dis- them in the years to come. Edward John Ryan, president and charter member of Local No. 4, Boston, Massachussetts, was elected as the First International President in 1896 by dele- gates attending the First International Convention in Pittsburgh. President ~~~~.... Ryan was born in 1860 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He migrated to Massachusetts, settling in Boston, where he wmked as a blacksmith and later an Ironworker. He was International President until 1899. President Ryan died in Boston in 1921. As the International reached its 100th Anniversary, we learned that Eleanor Ryan Mulhern, daughter of Charter Members - February 4, 7896. Top Row: P.f. Dalton; James G. Edward Ryan, was still living. Edward John Ryan She provided Local No. 7 with First International President Crowley (Secretary-Treasurer); John Brady (First V.P.); Bottom Row: John T. some of the history concerning her (Pictured as he began his Butler; f. W. Pryle; George W. Geary (First National Organizer); Ed}. Ryan father. /ronworking career) (First International President.) 19

John T. Butler of Buffalo was was elected Chairman of the International Executive Board one of t he prime movers in push- and he would h old t hat position ing for the m eeting in Pittsburgh . for two years. He was a charter member of M. Hanna of Buffalo was a member of the Executive Board Loca l No. 6 in Buffalo. H e would of that local. He was elected Second Vice-President of the become General President of the Interna tional a t the time of the International in 1899. He would founding convenlion. remain active in the International Georg e W. Geary of Chicago, would later write a column for and later serve as a delegate to the The Bridgemen's Magazine. He Building Trades De partment of the would be known as \"The Father of the Iron Workers Union.\" At A.F. ofL. the time of the founding conven- Daniel F. McIntyre Daniel F. McIntyre from tion he was an organizer for the from Buffalo. In 190 I Buffa lo, New York became connect- Chicago local. At the founding ed with the Ilousesmiths' Union i n convention he was elected m; an he was elected organizer for the I nternat ion al. Later, h e wrote a bout the efforts Secretaty• Trea5urer of 1895 and became Recording t he lnternalionol. Secretary of that organization, plus he was a delegate to the Cen tral Labor Body of Buffalo. In 1896 he was elected as one of the delegates to represent Buffalo at our founding con- vention. At this time he was a member of the Executive One of the first banners in 1896. Board of the Buffalo local. While at th e conve nt ion he T dgemen's Magazine 1· nJuly 1901 , James L. Kelly, a member political, economic and social advantages of Local 3 and a bridge inspector for of International control and ownership. He the Wabash Railroad, published the recommended to the delegates of the 1902 first issue of The Bridgemen's Magazine at Convention in Milwaukee that the 625-631 Second Avenue in Pittsburgh, International be empowered to pur(hase with the blessing of the lntemational's the magazine from Kelly and to begin pub- Executive Board. The original subscrip- lication with the January, 1903 issue. The tion price was $1.00 per year - in delegates concurred. The International advance. \"Magazine\" Kelly was a trust- Executive Board al its meeting in New York ing soul, but he liked his money up in November, 1902, decided to le2ve in the front. Just three months later, the price hands of the Secretary-Treasurer, the details rose to $1.25 per year. of transferring ownership of the journal The magazine's instant popularity and from the publishing company to the subsc.ription sale surprised Kelly and his International. The shift was accomplished partners. Six weeks after the first issue, within a month. the publishers claimed its circulation had The subscription price was reduced to surp.isscd several of the contemporary the original charge of one dollar per year - labor magazines. The second issue was also in advance, or 10 cents per copy. The not published until the second week in delegates voted that henceforth the maga- September, 1901, and was marked 2ine would be managed and edited by the Volume 1, Number 2. The Resol utions lnternational's incumbent Secretary- Committee at the Convention mandated Treasurer, a policy which prevailed for the that the journal be printed by union ensuing twenty-six years. The delegates at labor and only union advertisements the 1928 Convention unanimously support- inserted. ed General President Paul Morrin's recom- The magazine's masthead proclaimed mendation to create a new position of gen- it \"the official JournaIof the International eral editor to be appointed by the General Association of Bridge and Structural Iron CONVENTI ON NU MBER President the following year. Workers,\" althouqh it was not owned by William \"Billy\" McCain, of Kansas City the International - rather, it was Kelly's Local 10, served as an International officer property. His folksy style pleased the for almost two decades when he was Union membership for the one and one-half years he edited the tapped by Morrin to replace the expelled Harry Jones as Secretary- journal. The format Kelly established was continued for some years Treasurer in April, 1925. McCain at the time was first Vice-President of after the International assumed ownership and operation of the the International Association. He decided early on that his new position, publication. as the General Secretary and the chief financial officer, which also General President Frank Buchanan decided correctly that the included handling the chores of editor of The Bridgemen 's Magazine, was magazine was the responsibility of the Union and foresaw the more of a three-man job than a one-man job. He conceived the idea 20

of the Chicago Federation of Labor to pass legislation worked hard to straighten things out and to bring Local that after July 1, 1904, Illinois would not use convict No. 2 back into favor. labor in the production of goods. David McKelvey was president of the Pittsburgh James G. Crowley of Chicago was the Secretary- local, and was elected president of the convention on the Treasurer of the local at the time of the founding con- first day of our founding convention. On the second day vention. of the founding convention he was elected to the Executive Board. Patrick J. Dalton of Chicago was a member of the Executive Board when he was sent to the founding con- The Second International Convention was held vention. in Buffalo, New York in 1897. Ed Ryan was reelected General President and New York's William Barry was Emil and Edward Treter and Cornelius Brady elected Secretary-Treasurer. The Third International represented the Cleveland local, but it seems they had Convention was postponed until 1899 when the dele- to leave early because of problems at home. However, gates met at the St. Charles Hotel in Pittsburgh. John Emil was chosen to be on the first Executive Board of T. Butler, of Buffalo, was elected President and J.W. the International. Pryale of Pittsburgh was chosen as Secretary-Treasurer. No Executive Board was elected. John Brady of New York was later elected four times to be the president of his local. At the time of the The Fourth International Convention in 1900 founding convention he was vice president of the New was held in Pittsburgh. John T. Butler was reelected York local and he was elected by his local to be a dele- President. John Brady, Edward John Ryan, J.G. gate. He would attend two additional International Morrison, George Boyd, John Kingsley and M.J. Conventions and be elected First Vice President in 1901. Reynolds were elected members of the Executive Board. Earlier, when his local was suspended in 1900, he that the duties of his office be separated into two distinct positions of Secretary and Treasurer and that the Union should hire a competent full-time editor. His plan, of course, would require con - vention action. McCain easily convinced Morrin, who in turn persuaded the Executive Council and then successfully urged the delegates at the 1928 Convention to approve McCain's structural changes. Since that time, seven men have served as editor of the magazine: John J. Keegan, Julian Meyer, James J. Clark, John Holmes, William Lawbaugh, Martin T. Byrne, and the present editor, Tadas Kicielinski. Martin T. Byrne, was also Executive Assistant to the General President. Mr. Byne's knowledge of the trade, having been an Apprentice, Journeyman and Business Agent, has made The Ironworker maga- zine a success resulting in several awards for \"EXCELLENCE.\" Between the tenures of Holmes and Lawbaugh, an editorial committee of International Union officials with Executive Director J.W. Hardesty as Chairman and General Organizers Raymond J. Robertson and Calvin Walker as two of the committee members, managed the journal. The Bridgemen's Magazine contin- ued to be published by the International Association solely under that name until January, 1959 when General President John H. Lyons, Sr. intro- duced the secondary title, The Ironworker. James L. Kelly, Lyons wrote an article for that issue enti- tled, Presenting The Ironworker in which he Founder of The stated the International was presenting \"a Bridgemen's Magazine new, modern and streamlined version of The Bridgemen's Magazine, which shall in July, 1901. 21

The table listing the conventions Local unions were chartered by the \"International and names of the officers elected Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers of at each previous convention America\" in 1896, however, in 1901 the words \"of printed in the October 1909 America\" were dropped from the title. The first printed issue of The Bridgemen's charter was issued to Local Union No. 1, Chicago on Magazine states that J.W. Kelly February 1, 1901. Also, in July of 1901, the first issue was elected Secretary- of The Bridgemen's Magazine was published in Treasurer at the 1900 conven- Pittsburg. tion. The minutes of the fifth Convention held in Boston in The Buchanan Presidency 1901 states that J.W. Pryale was Secretary-Treasurer when the The Fifth International Convention was held in Convention was opened by President Paine Memorial Hall, Boston, September 23 John T. Butler. Therefore, Pryale, John T. Butler through October 3, 1901. President J. T. ........--...... who was first elected Secretary- Butler was in the chair at the opening Treasurer at the convention in elected 2nd International of the Convention, and Secretary- President in 7899 1899, must have been reelected at Treasurer J. W. Pryale was at his the next convention in 1900. side. The reading of the credentials The year 1901 was the best year for the Iron showed that Local Unions No. 21 Workers International since 1896, percentage wise at through 27 were represented by least. Membership swelled to 6,000, and by September delegates and proxy votes. It was there was over $2,000 in the ruled that Local No. International treasury. The number of 9 (then in locals receiving charters more than dou- Pittsburgh) had bled that year. \"Did you ever give a received its charter National General Organizer George thought to these men? unconstitutionally and was therefore not enti- Geary, the first man to hold that position They build our sky- tled to a seat at the in the Union, resigned in the summer of Convention. Local No. 14 1901, when he was named superinten- scrapers, bridges and dent of the Free Employment Agency of trestle work. They (which apparently at Frank Buchanan the State of Illinois. His office fasten together the was in his hometown of steel beams and gird- that time was a rail- 3rd International President Chicago. Geary was suc- ers that form the way bridgemen's elected in 790 7 ceeded as National bones and muscles of Organizer for the our high buildings.\" local based in International Pittsburgh) was granted a seat but no vote and its delegates withdrew from the Convention. The Convention further Association by Thomas TUfflJ!::1 decided that Local Union No.'s 21, 22, 24, McGovern, business 25, 26, and 27, who were represented by agent of Buffalo, Local proxy, were not entitled to representation No.6. because they had not paid per capita tax during the pre- In 1901, an editorial appeared in ceding year. one of William Randolph Hearst's During the 1901 Convention it was reported that newspapers, The Chicago American. Secretary-Treasurer J. W. Pryale had left Boston, which Thomas McGovern, It was titled \"The Structural Iron caused suspicion and concern. A committee was named National Organizer Workers.\" Part of the article reads and instructed to contact Pryale and request he turn as follows: over all monies, books and papers dealing with business \"Did you ever give a thought to these men? of the International. General President Butler tendered They build our skyscrapers, bridges and trestle his resignation when he learned of Pryale's departure, work. They fasten together the steel beams and but upon request agreed to continue in office until the girders that form the bones and muscles of our evening of September 30th. The Convention adopted high buildings. They wear no uniform. No band The Bridgemen's Magazine as the official journal of the of music plays when they go to work. Not one of them has ever received a medal or stripe upon his sleeve. No editorial writer probably ever has commended them as patriotic citizens. The city has never given a banquet in their honor or even passed a vote of thanks for their services. And yet these structural Ironworkers risk their lives every weekday in the year for their country's sake. Several hundreds of them were killed or disabled in this state last year. The average length of time they live after beginning their work is ten years. The motto of their craft is, 'We Delegates to the Fifth International Convention in 790 7 do not die; we are killed'.\" 22

International Association and adopted a new constitu- Ironworker members of Local Numbers 3, 20 and 77 on jobsite in December, tion to become effective January 1, 1902. 7900 at Benwood, West Virginia. Two-thirds of the delegates at the 1901 Convention were unhappy with the International's affiliation with the AFL, as this excerpt from the Convention minutes shows: \"As considerable dissatisfaction seemed to exist with reference to the manner in which we became affiliated with the A.F. of L., the matter was taken up for discussion and it was finally moved and seconded that we withdraw from the A.F. of L. It was moved and seconded in amendment that the matter be referred back to the different locals for referendum vote. The amendment lost by a vote of 27 to 26. The original motion was put and car- ried by a vote of 35 to 19.\" he following is a copy of the Agreement between the performed by any workman during working hours. There shall be National Association of Manufacturers and Erectors of no restriction as to the use of machinery or tools, or as to the num- Structural Steel and Iron Work, and the International ber of men employed in the operation of same. Association of Bridge and Structural lronworkers: 9. There shall be no restriction whatever as to the employment 1. Eight hours shall constitute a day's work in localities where it of foremen. is now the prevailing custom to work eight hours. In other locali- ties nine hours shall constitute a day's work; this, however, may 10.There shall be no sympathetic strikes called on account of be subject to arbitration. trades' disputes. 2. Time and a half-time wi!I be allowed for time worked in excess of the hours fixed upon as constituting a day's work for one shift, 11. No persons other than those authorized by the employer except as follows: shall interfere with workmen during working hours. a. On Sundays throughout the year, Decoration Day, Fourth of 12. The employer may employ or discharge, through his repre- July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or the days observed as sentative, any workman as he may see fit; but no workman is to be these holidays, double time will be allowed for any time discriminated against on account of his connection with a labor worked within the twenty-four hours constituting a calendar organization. day. No work shall be performed on Labor Day except in case of dire necessity when the property of the employer is in jeop- 13. There shall be no discrimination against, interference with, ardy and the service of the men is required to place the same or fines imposed upon foremen who have been in the service of in a safe condition; double time will be paid for any time the employer during the time of strike. worked Labor Day. Only straight time will be allowed for time worked on Saturday afternoon, but a half-holiday Saturday 14. Apprentices to learn the trade may be employed in propor- afternoon without pay may be granted by arrangement tion of one apprentice to every seven Bridgemen and such appren- between the employer and workman. tices shall serve on erection work for a period of not less than six months before receiving the rates of wages agreed upon for mem- b. When two separate shifts are employed on the same piece of bers of such organization. No man shall be employed as an work, each shift will be paid the regular prevailing rate of apprentice whose age is over thirty years. The Apprentices shall wages per hour. Hours of each shift may be arranged between perform such duties as may be assigned to them by the Foreman- the employer and workman as may be most advantageous, in-charge. but the liours of employment of each shift will not be less than the hours fixed upon as constituting a day's work. 15. Laborers may be employed for unloading and handling materials in yards and storage points and for removing materials 3. Workmen will be paid every two weeks upon pay days to from such yards or storage points to the site of the work. be fixed by the employer, except in localities where it is required by law and where it is the prevailing custom to pay weekly. 16. Such work as the framing of false work and travelers, the framing and placing of wooden decks (ties and guard-rails) and all 4. It will be the general custom to withhold not more than one woodwork on mill buildings, painting of structural steel and iron week's time, to enable the employer to prepare the rolls, etc. work, and placing and adjusting of operating machinery in draw bridges and machinery in other structures may be performed by 5. When any workman is discharged or laid off, he shall be such men as the employer may select. paid in full within twenty-four hours. 17. In cases where misunderstanding or disputes arise between 6. When a workman leaves the services of an employer of his the employer and workmen, the matter in question shall be submit- own accord, he will receive the pay due him at the next regular ted to arbitration locally, without strikes, lockouts or the stoppage pay day. of work, pending the decision of the arbitrators. 7. There shall be no restrictions or discrimination on the part Effective to January 1, 1905 of the workman as to the handling of any materials entering into (signed) construction of the work upon which they are employed. H.F. Lofland Frank Buchanan 8. There shall be no limitation upon the amount of work to be Daniel Scanlan H.F. Donnelly J. W. Johnston Robert E. Neidig 23

The disaffiliation was short- and later in 1901, the Iron lived, however. Frank Buchanan, Workers International Association who would assume the office of became affiliated with that organi- General President in October, 1901, zation. The A.F.L. refused to immediately after the Convention, endorse the National Building realized that separation would Trades Council because it \"some- harm the International. He strong- times assumed an attitude of rival- ly favored affiliation with the ry and hostility, not only to the A.F.L., but he bided his time and American Federation of Labor, but on September 30, 1903, the dele- often to unions connected with the gates at the Seventh Convention in regular organizations of the crafts, Kansas City concurred with going so far as to charter and rec- Buchanan's recommendation to ognize independent unions fre- return to the fold. One week later quently organized for the purpose on October 6th, the International of antagonizing existing organiza- Association was granted another tions.\" The National Building charter by A.F.L. President Samuel Trades Council should not be con- Gompers. fused with the Building and The records are not clear about Construction Trades Department the exact date the International of the A.F.L. which was organized affiliated with the A.F.L. the first in February 1908, with the sanc- time. The 1901 A.F.L. Convention tion and approval of the 1907 Proceedings state that seven First Charter - issued to Local Union No. 1 February 1, A.F.L. Convention. national unions had been issued 1901 and signed by President Butler. There were many able men charters during the preceding year among the early stalwarts of the and among them, the International Association of International Association, none more outstanding than Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. Frank Buchanan. He possessed a vision beyond imme- The following officers were elected at the 1901 diate interests. This extended sometimes farther than Convention in Boston: President Frank Buchanan, some local officers were able or willing to see. He also Local 1, Chicago, who defeated George Boyd, Local 3, had a patience in his leadership that demonstrated his Pittsburgh; First Vice-President John Brady, Local 2, foresight. New York; Second Vice-President C. F. Lyons, Local 17, Frank Buchanan was the third man to hold the office Cleveland; Secretary-Treasurer D. F. McIntyre, Local 3, of General President. He served the International Pittsburgh; Executive Board members William Association for four years. He was reelected in 1902, Mclwaine, Local 13, Philadelphia; James Trainor, Local 1903 and 1904, and later was elected to the United 18, St. Louis; J. F. Carr, Local 7, Boston; George Flairs, States Congress. The Biographical Directory of the U. Local 19, Minneapolis; John McCabe, Local 3, S. Congress (Bicentennial Edition) states he was born Pittsburgh. June 14, 1862 on a farm near Madison, Indiana (border- The Convention voted to send three provisional dele- ing on the Ohio River). He went to the rural county gates to the Convention of the National Building Trades schools, worked on the family farm - or as the Council ofAmerica Congressional directory puts it \"engaged in agricultural pursuits at home.\" Frank left home as a young man, went forty miles down river to Louisville, Kentucky to learn the bridgeman's trade. In 1894, he moved to Chicago and there joined the recently orga- nized and chartered Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. Within a few years he was elected business agent. He also aided George Geary, Pat Dalton, and James Crowley in their efforts to establish an International Association. Seven weeks after Buchanan was elected to his first term as General President, one of his first official actions was to arrange a meeting in November with Joshua Hatfield, President of the American Bridge Company, to discuss his plan of making a national agreement with the nation's biggest bridge builder. As Buchanan put it, he wanted \"to prepare a general or uni- form agreement for all locals.\" Buchanan and Hatfield set up a conference to be held in January, 1902. Executive Board Elected at the Fifth International Convention in 1901. At the conference held at Pencoyd, near 24

Philadelphia, January 17, 1902, American Bridge was represented by H. F. Lofland, Erection Building Trades Council 1901 Manager, and S. P. Mitchell, Chief Engineer. The Quarterly Working Card carried by one International was represented by President Frank of the Ironworker delegates to the BTC Buchanan and Secretary-Treasurer McIntyre. convention. A tentative National Agreement was reached Quarterly Working which provided that the company would employ Card 1902. only members of the Union on all its erection \"The referendum vote of the Locals of the work within the United States and in territory International Association ofBridge and Structural Iron Workers as to the adoption of outside of the United States preference would be the universal scale proposed by the American Bridge Company has been received with excep- given to members of the Union. tion of the votes of the Locals of St. Louis and New York. D. F. McIntyre, General Secretary- The jurisdiction claims of the International, which at Treasurer said: 'Generally speaking, the votes favored the adoption of the universal scale. that time were disputed by other unions, were fully rec- There are 32 articles, however, to the Agreement and I do not know of a local that adopted the ognized by American Bridge and set forth in Section 11 scale in toto. This will mean much work for the general officers'.\" of the Agreement. Section 33 provided, \"When the There was a difference of opinion between the mem- Company is the original contractor and sublets the work bers and the officers of the locals on the matter of a uni- form national wage scale and a national agreement. to another firm or company, the sub-contractor shall be Some were strongly in favor of such a proposition, while others were in favor of a uniform national agreement subject to all of the terms and conditions of this agree- with wage scales to be negotiated by each local. Still others believed all negotiations should be conducted by ment.\" the individual local without International interference except International financial aid in case of a strike. Section 19 of the proposed Agreement provided that This difference of opinion resulted in some locals giving very little consideration to the proposed Agreement with there would be no strikes or lockouts, pending a decision American Bridge when it was submitted for a referen- dum vote in the early part of 1902. of the Board of Referees, and other sections established Charles Massey, a business agent of New York Local a rather elaborate plan of arbitration for the settlement No. 2, pointed out that Sam Parks, chief business agent and the influential power in the Local, said the agree- of differences that might arise over the interpretation of ment should be thrown in the waste basket, and it was. Parks said that he wasn't interested in anything any clause in the contract, or any differences to, specifi- Lofland (of American Bridge) was interested in. Only later did the locals realize what they rejected. cally covered. Section 29 provided, \"A sympathetic Sam Parks had made a name for himself, among strike ordered by other trades, or by one of the central Ironworkers and other building tradesmen in New York, even before the founding of the International by estab- bodies, where it is necessary to take part to protect lishing rates and working conditions much better than employers were originally willing to approve. He Union principles, shall not be considered a violation of pushed them beyond their stated limit. Most employers this agreement.\" The Agreement also contained provisions for employ- ment of apprentices at a ratio of one apprentice to every ten bridgemen or structural Ironworkers. The term of apprenticeship was established at not less than eighteen (18) months. President Buchanan and Executive Board members realized the impor- tance of such a con- tract, as American Bridge was by far the largest employ- er of Ironworkers at that time and other large firms proba- bly would have accepted the same Agreement. It would have resulted in completely orga- nizing the trade at a time when it was not well organized outside of the larg- er cities, most in the East or Midwest. The Agreement was submitted to the Locals for a refer- endum vote of the membership. The American Federation of Labor Affiliation Charter Bridgemen's issued to the International Association of Bridge Magazine of April and Structural Iron Workers on October 6, 1903 1902 reported: and signed by AFL President Samuel Gompers. 25

didn't like that and even signs point to the fact fewer liked him - but he that the local of wasn't interested in the Philadelphia will likewise \"Mr. Congeniality\" aw-ard. gain a victory in the near The New York contractors future.\" vowed to get him and The Philadelphia local they did finally, when demanded an eight-hour Parks slipped, which will day and a ten cent per be discussed later in this hour raise to 50 cents to chapter. become effective May 1, Although disappointed Rankin Bridge near Pittsburgh erected by 1902. All structural steel that the local unions did members of Local No. 3 working fo, companies doing work in not accept the proposed that city agreed - except contract, President American Bridge in 190I. Pennsylvania Steel Buchanan continued his •. :-,:-.e~~>~~ Company and American efforts to bring about national action to organize the Bridge Company. Local la's strike against them was trade. Plans were made to organize some of the large not effective in stopping work. Two months later, non-union jobs by striking the work of the same contrac- General President Frank Buchanan arrived in tor in other cities where they were operating union. Philadelphia from Chicago to work on a new skyscraper Philadelphia was the center of a struggle causing sym- and was asked by the local officers for International pathetic strikes elsewhere. assistance in their struggle against the two companies. In a letter published in the June 1902 issue of the He arra1 New York, Pittsburgh, magazine, President Buchanan stated: \"The Locals in Buffalo , ke American Bridge in those Pittsburg, Buffalo, Cleveland, Albany, Boston and cities. T an Bridge's President Hatfield Philadelphia have made one of the most gallant fights in to meet, hey met in New York and the history of organized labor. They were battling reached ement on August rn. against one of the most powerful adversaries in the The American Bridge Company had about 400 non- country and with exception of the local in Philadelphia, union ironworkers in its employ, mcst of whom had been their efforts have been crowned with success, but all the imported from other cities. The settlement provided •@] • An Ironworker's Priide Showed. • • The lronworkers as well as all union members participated in Labor Day parades. The badges served two purposes-the colorful side was worn during parades and the black side was worn during funerals. Group of popular members of Local 1, 1902. • •@l 26

that all of those men who desired to join the Union in the shop, we have concluded that it has become neces- should be permitted to do so and the rest should be dis- sary to use our efforts to organize inside men..\" charged. About two-thirds of the number joined the Union. The settlement of this strike was looked upon as The beginning of the Shop Division and Shopmen a complete victory for the Union. Local Unions had its birth in the summer and fall of 1902, just six years after the International was formed. President Buchanan met early in 1902 with C.O. The first local was Local No. 40 in Newark, N.J., which Sherman, a leader of the United Metal Workers' was designated as \"Inside Architectural Bridge and Organization. This union, which was formed in 1900, Structural Iron Workers.\" was working in a dual capacity by claiming all the work of the Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. At the meet- A gang of Local Union No. 10 members, working for Phoenix Bridge Co., at ing, Buchanan proposed that the United Metal Workers Jefferson City, Missouri went on strike for $3.50 per day on May 5, 7902. confine themselves \"to the organization of the inside They were out only 5 hours when the company agreed to the scale wages shop workmen\" and the Outside Iron Workers would asked for. Local No. 70 Business Agent W.J. McCain is in center sitting down. assist them whenever possible. Sherman agreed to con- sider the proposal. In June of 1902, Local No. 26 of Cincinnati, Ohio, which was an Outside Structural Local, went on strike against the Architectural Iron League of Cincinnati for an increase in wages and reduction of hours. This orga- nization of bosses conspired with the United Metal Workers to take the place of the Structural Iron Workers for half the wages. At that point, Buchanan felt there was no place for the United Metal Workers International Union. The common reference in the magazine was that it was a \"catch-as-catch-can organi- zation\" or the \"Tin Can Union.\" As a result, Buchanan decided that for the \"protec- tion of the men who are erecting the structural iron work, as well as those who are working on the material • • .In Triumph And Tragedy 27

From time to time in this book the reader will cated that he had spent a considerable amount note that the number of certain local unions of time traveling from place to place, orga- changed, for example, Local No. 18 ot St. nizing and assisting local unions in Louis became Local No. 396. The reason is adjusting their grievances and negoti- due to the Local Union losing its charter ating agreements. for a period of time. Possibly they did Buchanan had better luck at the not pay their per capita or were placed Milwaukee Convention than he did under supervision. When the Local with his American Bridge Union was reinstated, they were issued Agreement. He recommended the next charter and Local Union that (1) the President and number in sequence. In some cases numbers for locals were recycled dur- Secretary-Treasurer be placed on ing the early years, so that a number fixed salaries and devote full time for a particular local in a city might to the International; (2) authority again appear in another city at a later be granted to the President to solve date. That is what occurred with Local Union problems without waiting for No. 40. After the charter was revoked approval of the Executive Board; (3) a sometime in early 1904 and Local No. 2's contingent fund be set aside for the use charter was revoked about the same time, of the President, so he could move quickly the International issued the number again to to any city where his services were needed; charter a new Outside Local in New York City. ( 4) a uniform road scale in areas outside the Original Iron Workers logo The Sixth International Convention jurisdiction of established local unions; (5) was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 13-22, ownership and control of The Bridgemen's Magazine; (6) 1902. In his annual report to the Convention, President establishment of an apprenticeship system throughout Buchanan stated \"One year ago our membership was in the International; and (7) affiliation with the A.F. of L. round numbers, about 6,000. Today, it is about 10,000 and if, during the coming year, we will actively advance The Convention delegates adopted all his recommen- the interests of our Association, there is no reason to dations except the one dealing with apprenticeship, doubt but that we will succeed in organizing the men which they decided to hold over to the next convention. working at our craft.\" President Buchanan's report indi- There were sixty delegates in attendance at the Convention representing 28 local unions. Ironworker Pride, continued Members of Local 4, Toronto, Canada, as they appeared on Labor Day, 1907. 28

The delegates voted to place the offices of Buffalo; 2nd Vice President, E. L. Warden, P resident and Secretary-Treasurer on a Local 15, New Haven; Secretary-Treasurer J. salary basis, incr ea se the per capit a tax from W. Johnston, Lo<.:al 2, New York; Executive 25 cents to 40 cen ts per month and establis Board Mem bers: John McCabe, Local 3, a death benefit assessment of 10 cents per Pittsburgh; Peter L. Beck, Local 24, Denver: member per month . The Conve ntion also H. F. Donnelly, Local 12, Albany; J ohn H. adopted Buchanan's recommendation to take Barry, Local 18, St . Louis; and Robert E. over publication of The Bridgemen's Neidig, Local 2, New York. Magazine under the supervision of the At a meet ing of the International International Secretary-Treasurer beginning Executive Board held in New York City, ,January 1, 1903, and that the magazine be fur- November 24 through Novembe r 29, 1902, it nished at $1.00 per year to all subscribers , J.W. Johnson was decided to recommend to each local or 10 cents per single copy. Beginning with union that they a dopt an apprenticeship sys- John W. Johnston, the incumbent Local No. 2, elected Secre/OfY· Treasurer of /he International tem to meet t h eir local requirements with no Secretary-Treasure1- would edit t he maga- at the Sixth Convention in more lhan one apprentice to seven journey- zine for the following twenty-six years. 1902. men. It was further decided to continue t,o Buchanan realized much more than grant charters to shop locals, but t hat shop most the political, economic a nd social value of Union locals would not work on erection work ex<.:ept with per- ownership and control of The Bridgemen'.-, Magazine. mission of the erection local union where the work was He knew that an informative monthly journal would to be performed. keep the membership abreast of the officers' activities The Executive Board a lso gave authority to the and make them aware of the International's efforts to International President to appoint District Organizers. improve wages, working conditions, a nd job safety for The Executive Board adopted a motion to recommend to the rank and file Ironworker. This would p!'ovide for a all locals that no men be shipped out side of their juris- more knowledgeable membership and a mo!'e cohesive diction after May l, 1902 for less than $3.50 per nine Union. hours. This is believed to be the first uniform \"road The following International officers were elected at scale\" ever approved by the International. the 1902 Convention: P resident Frank Buchana n, Loca l The four years following the 1902 Convention were l , Chka go; 1st Vice PrBsident. .,John 'I'. Butler, Local 6, very eventful and had great effect on the future of the Members of Loco/ Minneapolis, 1 90 1. Union No. 20, Wheeling, West Virginia Members of who made a hit l abor Local Union No. Day, 1905. I 0, of Kansas City, Missouri after the Parade on Labor Day, 1905. + @] 29

International ized - and first by Frank Buchanan - Association and its was whether the International members. The progress Association was to be a confederation of made in organizing and autonomous locals or a strong, indivisi- obtaining increases in ble union. On this score Buchanan wages and, in some would have to do battle with New York's cases, signed agree- Sam Parks and other stubborn, like- ments, was outstanding. minded powerful local union leaders. Most local understand- Buchanan knew that a strong ings and agreements International Association was the only were reached without means to give Ironworkers a fighting strikes, or, if there was chance against employers who were a strike, it usually was forming their own orga- short. nization. He was The first General aware that steel com- Presidents, Edward Snapshot of the officers of the panies, led by U.S. Ryan, John Butler and Housemaids' Protective Association Steel, were pushing Frank Buchanan, grap- No. 1, of Buffalo, New York, orga- the open shop policy pled with basic issues, nized by the members of the in the mills and real- International Board during a meet- growing pains of the ing held in that city in 1903. '& ized that fabrication fledgling union, organiz- \"' and steel construction ing, trying to get enough companies could fol- money for paid officers, and 1903 Per Capita Tax Card low along the same path, especially those locating a headquarters some- of the United Housesmiths & where other than the Bridgemen's Union, Local No.2 of New York and Vicinity. which were subsidiaries Secretary-Treasurer's base- of U.S. Steel. ment or attic. In early 1903, the American Bridge Company was As early officers of the Iron Workers wrestled with working under signed agreements with Iron Worker these problems, the overriding problem only slowly real- local unions in localities where circumstances made that At the wake, it was common to have flower arrangements designed like bridges and der- ricks. When a member was killed on the job, almost all of the members of the local union attended the funeral. 30

expedient. In other localities where the Ironworkers March 12, 1903. were not well organized, American Bridge appears to After the general strike had been in effect for about have had little regard for union rules and regulations three weeks, President Buchanan secured an audience and this resulted in much friction. with financier J. Pierpont Morgan, at his residence in In January of 1903, Secretary-Treasurer New York. The meeting was arranged J.W. Johnston reported that twelve new through the influence of the officials of the charters had been issued during the last National Civic Federation. After President quarter of 1902. The shop or inside char- Buchanan had outlined the Union's posi- ters that were issued during that period tion, Mr. Morgan is reported to have said were entitled: \"Inside Architectural Bridge that while he did not approve of closed shop and Structural Iron Workers.\" and certain other features of unionism, he In June of 1903, Bernard J. Markle, was in sympathy generally with labor orga- Recording Secretary of Local No. 4 in nizations and would see what he could do Toronto, Canada, and Robert E. Neidig, in the matter. After a three day meeting President and Business Agent in New York with representatives from the American City, organized Local No. 66, Inside Bridge Company, the National Association Architectural Iron Workers. of Manufacturers and Erectors of In his report to the delegates attending Structural Steel and Iron Work and the the Seventh International Convention International, an agreement was reached held in Kansas City in September, 1903, which became effective May 1, 1903 and President Buchanan, who was reelected, was to continue in force until January 1, stated \"he had found that the locals at 1905. (See page 23 for 1903 Agreement). Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Jersey President Buchanan in his report to the City and Albany had suffered grievances at smembers in the May 1903 issue of The the hands of the American Bridge Company Bridgemen Magazine pointed out that cer- and that this company had refused to tain clauses of the agreement were not adjust them.\" The International Executive 1903 delegates badge worn at completely satisfactory to the Union Board called a general strike on all of the the Seventh International Committee, but that the employers had American Bridge Company's jobs effective Convention in Kansas City made the largest concessions and that an 31

Delegates to the Seventh Annual Convention of the Iron Workers International at Kansas City, Missouri., in 1903. immediate settlement was important. He also request- erally sent up the river to Sing-Sing. Then he was ed the members to live up to the spirit, as well as the released temporarily pending a hearing on a motion for letter, of the Agreement. The Agreement did not provide a new trial. In the interim, Parks went off to Kansas for a union shop, nor did it permit sympathetic strikes City as a delegate to his last convention. ordered by other trades as did the proposed Agreement with the American Bridge Company in 1902. At the Convention a resolution was adopted to sup- port Local No. 2 members in its fight with the New York After the signing of the National Agreement, the contractors. Earlier, the delegates voted to help Local New York contractors mobilized to force a compulsory No. 2, financially, with a $1,000 loan. However, the days arbitration plan on the city's construction unions, differ- of Local No. 2 and Parks were numbered. ent from the arbitration clause contained in the National Agreement. The contractors formed a company Following the Convention, Buchanan and Executive union of Ironworkers, locked out Local No. 2 members, Board members journeyed to New York to help settle the and threatened to lock out members of other construc- draining problem. After several meetings between the tion unions. The New York Local No. 2 Ironworkers New York contractors group and the International offi- were getting clobbered, with no relief in sight. Within a cers, the contractors agreed to terminate the dual union few months, the fan was whirling out of control, throw- ing stuff in every direction. Members of Local No. 2 in New York City erecting the In September, 1903 at the International Convention Manhattan Valley Viaduct connecting the in Kansas City, Buchanan reported to the delegates with Rapid Transit Tunnel between 125th and pride on the success (outside of New York) of the 135th streets, on Broadway in 1903. Agreement with the Erectors' Association. With good reason he was pleased; he reminded his fellow members that they had a contract with \"the principal structural iron manufacturers and erectors in this country...(and) by the largest and most powerful association of employ- ers that heretofore had been formed.\" But the dispute in New York between the building trades and the contractors was the key issue for Buchanan and most of the delegates. They wanted it settled because of its potential national ramifications (even though some viewed it as just a local problem). Immediately prior to the Convention, fighting Sam Parks, of Local No. 2, was in deep trouble. He was con- victed of extorting money from contractors and was lit- 32

(which had received a state charter through the political influence of the contractors). In turn, the International agreed to revoke the charter of one of its founding locals, Local No. 2, in February, 1904. The contractors wanted Parks' power base eliminated. By this time, Parks' appeal for a new trial had been heard and denied. He was returned to prison - gone from the New York labor scene, but certainly not forgot- ten. He died in prison several months after the demise of his old local. Whatever might be said of Sam Parks, he was a man of his time, who was dedicated to the well-being of his fellow New York Ironworkers. He may have wanted a full wallet for himself, but he wanted his friends to earn sufficient wages to take care of their families adequately. Parks had many friends outside the ironworking trade as well. Newspaper accounts of the day report that more than 10,000 admirers lined the streets to view his funeral cortege as it wound its way to the cemetery. The International then established four new locals: two in Manhattan (Locals 40 and 52) and one in Brooklyn (Local 35) and one in Jersey City (Local 45). Local No. 2's members were transferred to the new locals. The contractors recognized the new locals and agreed to employ union Ironworkers exclusively. At the Convention, President Buchanan reported on the \"inside shop men.\" There was opposition by some outside members. He recommended that before outside workers become involved in a controversy involving inside men, that the question should be presented to the rank and file for referendum vote and, likewise, if the Wabash Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh after wreck in 1903. outside requires the assistance of the inside men, that On the morning of October 19, at 8:30 am, after the men had been at work the question be submitted to the locals for a referendum one and one-half hours, the jib of the traveler gave away. Just below the jib were some men on a scaffold getting ready to drive a 10-1 /2-inch pin. Ten vote by the rank and file. He further recommended that men lost their lives and four were injured. Three of the men were members of the inside and structural locals remain apart and sepa- Local No. 3. rate with an agreement between them that neither local is to infringe upon another's work. During the At the Eighth International Convention held in Convention, it was regularly moved and seconded that Toronto, Canada in September, 1904, Buchanan was the \"Inside Iron Workers be considered part and parcel reelected President and John Joseph McNamara of of this International Association.\" The motion was Local No. 17, Cleveland was elected Secretary-Treasurer passed. in a run-off with James Crowley, of Local No. 1. The A new section in the Constitution, Article 21, govern- incumbent Secretary-Treasurer, John Johnston, of New ing the Inside Iron Workers was adopted. York, had been eliminated in the first ballot. With By the end of 1903, fifteen Inside Architectural Iron McNamara's election, the headquarters moved from Worker locals had been organized. New York to Cleveland. The International's headquar- ters in its first decade of existence was always the home town of the Secretary-Treasurer. (Two more years would pass before the International felt financially secure enough to establish headquarters in Indianapolis). This Convention, the first held outside the United States, clearly established the international aspect that the founders desired. The Toronto local had been chartered as Local No. 4, just two years earlier, on September 15, 1902. Canadians since have been staunch and loyal members of the International Association. A prime concern at the Toronto Delegates to the Eighth Annual Convention, held at Toronto, Canada, September 19-30, 1904. Convention was safety in the work 33

place, as the high number ofjob fatali- ties continued unabated. Buchanan had ear- lier put employers on notice that the rate of injuries and fatalities on the job was intolerable. The following January, the National Agreement between John J. McNamara the Iron Workers of Local 11, Cleveland, elected and the manufac- turers and structur- International Secretary- Treasurer at the Toronto convention in 1904. al steel erectors expired. The two groups were unable to reach a new agree- ment or to extend the old one. There was some dissatisfaction on both sides over the original Agreement, and to make matters Wilbur Bridge erected in 1904 by members of Local Union No. 12 at Kingston, New York, for worse, some contractors were becoming American Bridge Company. more interested in, and enamored with, the open shop policy. At the Ninth International Convention held in In September of 1904, the Executive Council of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 18-30, 1905, American Federation of Labor ruled that the jurisdic- President Frank Buchanan, despite having the support tion claims of of his views by a large majority of the local unions, and \"Structural Iron having been elected President of the Building Trades and Alliance (a forerunner of our present A.F. of L. Building Ornamental Trades Department) and by having been selected to Assembling deliver an address on labor relations to the second ses- Shops\" sion of the 57th Congress of the United States, sur- belonged to the prised everyone with his decision to retire from his Iron Workers office as President. In 1906 Buchanan decided to run International. for Congress. He was defeated. He ran again in 1908 The dispute and again was unsuccessful. The third time was a between the charm, however, and in 1910 he made it. He served United Metal three terms as the Democratic Representative from the Workers and Seventh District of Illinois. Iron Workers Frank M. Ryan, also of Chicago and a member of International Local Union No. 1, was elected to take his place. was finally set- Originally from Providence, Rhode tled and Island, he moved to Chicago and Buchanan became an active member of wrote in The Local No. 1, which he served Bridgemen's as president and business Magazine that: agent when elected to the \"it is plain to International presidency. me that it is to John J. McNamara was the interests of reelected to his second the men who term as Secretary- work on the Treasurer. Charter issued to the International Association by erection work The Convention indeed the Structural Building Trades Alliance of America on to have the men September 1, 1904. who work in became one of the most the assembly shops as members of this great organiza- significant bodies in the tion.\" short history of our organi- On September 1, 1904 the International Association zation. Shortly after accept- was issued a charter from the Structural Building ing the decision of President Trades Alliance ofAmerica. This organization was Buchanan not to seek further eventually dissolved; however at the time it played a office, the delegates pro- Frank M. Ryan ceeded to practically tie the of Local No. 1 elected International useful role in helping the International and its local new officers' hands. President at the Ninth Convention unions in a variety of ways. In endorsing th2 nation- in 1905. 34

Delegates to the Ninth Annual Convention held at Philadelphia, September 18-29, 1905. al strike against the large membership dues receipts. As the Ironworkers erected steel, moved iron and sweated all day, they found that steel companies the dele- their membership books became soiled and torn. After this resolution was passed, the International issued gates adopted a resolution Cloth Membership Book. which contained a clause that instructed the International Officers \"not to call this strike off until every existing grievance is settled satisfactory to our affiliated locals.\" This inflexible resolution made it virtually impossible for International Officers to negotiate for a fair settle- ment of the issues that A watch fob carried by Frank Ryan brought about the strike. until his death. The delegates also passed Resolution No. 4, re- affirming action taken at the Toronto Convention; that is, the apprentice system may be established when agreed on by any local union and their employers, but in no case shall there be more than one apprentice to seven mechanics. An interesting note - Resolution No. 13 recommended a more durable membership book. It was a practice for each Ironworker to check his fellow Ironworker's mem- bership book on the job to make sure that he had paid his dues and the current stamps were properly dis- played. This practice is still followed today with the 35

Members of Local No. 7 working on the Lake Shore elevator at Whiting, Indiana, 7905. lronworkers hoisting tele• ,. scope rotating mechanism i,yith , • gec,rs at the Yerkes Observatory, Rockford, Illinois, in 7896. \"cloth\" membership books. These books would not rip and water (sweat) did not affect them. Many of the members made special cases to hold the books primarily to protect them from fire (oxyacetylene burning and from cigarettes). At the 1905 Convention, there were changes made in A bunch of Delegates to the Ninth Convention who spent Sunday, the Constitution. The following changes to Article XVI, September 24, on the beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey. Section 7 were made: \"The per capita tax of all inside Ironworkers shall be 15 cents per month per member, payable monthly. The Secretary- Treasurer shall ~~:~~t/fo~C:V~~fe~:sf:~c:nm~:ic1~~~?f::!:i;kers. ~~ 2 , Stamps to be paid for at the above valuation.\" 36

~..ho\\\\'rl h erei n an a ·h,1:.d, size r1c;n-,- ·u ~' t ;o rL ( <i. ,H; r ;;h,,, ) l' d c,c (30 c (.l 0t ch ,Pn )nf ,1<,sl li,. Re v e r s (~ d tJS l~ tt ~J. J.. l l cNAMARA o . <1 17 Su p e·r lo.r l\\ld:j.. C l,w e lm;1<I, Ohl.o July, 1905 Bridgeman's Magazine advertisement, 37



t -- 1 resident Ryan and McNamara ran into cers wouldn't budge. Ryan decided he then had to turn difficulties immediately after assuming down American Bridge's offer, since the Local wouldn't office in October, 1905. Ryan and waive its claim. Luke Grant, in American Labor: From American Bridge's S. P. Mitchell dis- Conspiracy to Collective Bargaining, recalls in an inter- _...,.._ cussed the strike then in progress. view with AFL President Samuel Gompers circa 1915: Gompers considered \"...this mistake one of the three Mitchell offered to employ only union most costly blunders made in recent years in the Ironworkers on American Bridge's own American labor movement.\" erection work, but would not give that guarantee for work sub-let by American Bridge. Ryan decided to This event was closely followed by the Post and strike all jobs considered to have been sub-let by McCord strike in New York, which Ryan insisted be American Bridge. In his hometown of Chicago, he called, though the local business agent said it would be wanted work stopped on two jobs and the majority of fruitless. Ryan believed that Post and McCord and the the Local No. 1 members agreed. Frank Buchanan was American Bridge Company were the same entity, one of the dissenters. although that was denied by both firms. Luke Grant Cleveland Local No. 17 refused to call off its mem- states that there is no \"reliable information that Post bers from jobs sub-let by American Bridge and and McCord ever was a part of the American Bridge McNamara caused his own local to be temporarily sus- Company.\" The Ironworkers struck Post and McCord on pended. Ryan also ran into trouble over the Tube Mill November 1, 1905. job being erected non-union, by National Tube Company, at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, within the \"Roller Lift, \" being built by the Santa Fe R.R. across Channel Street at Third, jurisdiction of Pittsburgh, Local No. 3. National Tube San Francisco, California by members of Local Union No. 31. and American Bridge were both subsidiaries of U. S. Steel Corporation; however, the Union's few friends at American Bridge couldn't order National Tube to use union Ironworkers, such interference being contrary to the parent company's established policy. Local No. 3 officers were adamant in their demand for union Ironworkers on the Tube Mill job, however the work con- tinued non-union. The American Bridge Company President, August Ziesing, decided to make Ryan an offer he couldn't refuse. In the presence of U. S. Steel officials, Ziesing proposed to Ryan that his company would use union Ironworkers exclusively on direct contract work and work done under sub-contract. He did not offer a signed agreement, but would put his offer in writing to hire and employ union men to work the uniform number of hours for the recognized wages. The Union would have to waive the claim to the work at McKeesport. President Ryan tried to convince Local No. 3 to change its position on the Tube Mill job. The Local offi- 39

Buildings after the San Francisco earthquake. Members of Local No. 3 7, who cleared up part of the San Francisco ruins. In part of his February, 1906 report to the Officers if any were willing to work for them and they would sub- and members of affiliated local unions, President Ryan let to union contractors, if advantageous - for example, if said: \"In an effort to extend the benefits of our organiza- a union firm was the lowest bidder. When it came to tion we have become involved in a strike that extends profit, the open shop companies had no principle. throughout the country, and was called on August 10, 1905, practically six months ago. This gang of conspira- The open shop policy of employers would prove costly tors, known as the United States Steel Corporation, to the Union and present a constant immovable barrier have, during all that time used every despicable method to growth. This was a time of sharp tensions and a to break the ranks of our organization through slander hardening of confrontations between the International and bribery, and through their spy system they have Association and a militant, well financed group of open worked every process that unprincipled men could shop employers. The Union seemed headed for a dark invent to make criminals of honest men, that they might interlude. use them to do their nefarious work. So far they have failed to accomplish their object; the poor dupes they Although problems existed due to the strike, a great have in their employ as spies would soon be out of a job deal of work was being erected throughout the United if they could succeed in disrupting our organization. States and Canada in 1906. Safety continued to be a big They (the American Bridge Company) and their cohorts, factor to our members. Loss of life continued to rise. have recently declared for the open shop, they would Local No. 1, Chicago, reported that in 1905, 23 of their have us believe that it was a new policy they were members were killed on the job, 17 totally disabled, and adopting; on the contrary it has always been their poli- 83 suffered from injury. The membership of Local No. 1 cy, while at one time they had agreed to a closed shop, was 880. It was determined that three men in every true to their natural instincts for dishonesty, they did group of twenty-two workers will be killed or injured not carry it out except through force of circumstances every twelve months. our organization compelled them to do so.\" In the June issue of the 1906 The Bridgemen's The National Erectors Association, under their new Magazine an article titled \"STEEL CITY WILL RISE director, Walter Drew, formally declared for the open shop ABOVE RUINS\": April 20, 1906 - Wednesday's fright- policy on May 1, 1906. American Bridge had been an ful earthquake shocks demonstrated the utility of the open shop firm since the strike and other member firms steel frame buildings in this country. When San fell in line for the open shop principle. However, the Francisco is rebuilt brick and stone will be rejected in firms were pragmatic: they would employ union members favor of the steel skeleton building. Many such build- ings are in ruins, but they have been destroyed by fire Delegates to the Tenth Annual Convention. and not by the shaking of the earth. Throughout the early hours of the day, while other build- ings were toppling into the streets, the steel frame build- ings remained intact. They swayed and swung on their foundations, but the bolted steel beams and girders hung together. The steel skeletons preserved their form, although tested to the utmost limit of flexibility. It was interesting to note that cutting of structural steel beams and girders by the elec- tric arc was used to clear the 40

wreckage and debris caused by the San Francisco fires. most of the other International Unions A 15-inch I-beam could be cut in 20 minutes, whereas to were located in that city. cut a beam of this size with a hacksaw would have required several hours. The Eleventh International Convention was held September 16-25, The Tenth International Convention was held in 1907 in Indianapolis, Indiana which is Detroit, Michigan, September 17-27, 1906. Frank M. the city where our headquarters was Ryan and J.J. McNamara were reelected. There were located. Frank M. Ryan was reelected many issues and resolutions presented at the President and J.J. McNamara was Convention. Locals in Canada and several in the reelected Secretary-Treasurer. The United States requested Organizers be assigned to their Convention dealt with many resolutions jurisdictions in order to help organize non-union compa- and issues. The delegates adopted the nies. There were a number of local unions that wanted following Memorial: to expand their territory which met with opposition from those local unions already controlling the area. WHEREAS, it is with sincere regret that Several resolutions requested increases in their scale of the International Association of Bridge and wages from 45 cents to 50 cents per hour and an 8-hour Structural Iron Workers learns of the death day rather than the 9-hour day most members worked. of fifty of its members in what is known as the \"Quebec Bridge Disaster;\" and It was decided to issue an Initiation stamp at a cost of 50 cents. It was felt that this would help in keeping WHEREAS, by this appalling accident, 7907 badge worn by better records on members, i.e., when they started as an consternation and dismay has been visited delegates to the 77th Ironworker. Another resolution was passed to move upon the relatives and friends of our Annual Convention. International Headquarters from Cleveland to departed brothers, and one of our Indianapolis. The main reason was due to the fact that Canadian Locals almost wiped out of exis- tence; therefore, be it ~~ onTl1e Quebec B1idge Disaster of 1907~ffi! ~~~ Thursday, August 29, 1907 the View of Quebec Bridge just prior to collapse. back to work on August 10th. Quebec Railroad Bridge collapsed. Engineers inspected the bridge on ffi! ifil A 20,000 ton section of the August 26th and 27th and noticed that ifil ffi! bridge fell 300 feet into the St. Lawrence some of the cantilever arms were buck- ffi! ~ River. A total of fifty lronworkers and 36 ling. None of the men were told about ~ ifil other workers were killed. the problem in order to keep them from ~ leaving the job. The general foremen ffi'.! D. B. Haley wrote a letter to The ~ @I Bridgemen's Magazine about what hap- disregarded the orders of the engineers ffi'.! ~ pened and it was published in the and told the men to continue working. @! On Thursday, August 29 the crash ~ ffi! October, 1907 issue. Haley was lucky he came without a moment's notice. ~ @! only had his legs and ankles badly Among those killed were 33 Canadian @! sprained in his fall into the river. Haley ffi! ~ had come from Wheeling, West Virginia Ironworker Indian members. The Indians ~ ifil in June of 1907 to work on the bridge. were members of the Caughnawaga ~ ffi'.! The work was being done by Local No. Indian Reserve. They left 25 widows and @! 87. The bridge was being built for numerous fatherless children behind. Six ~ ffi! ~ Canada's transcontinental railroad about apprentices were also killed, along with ~ ~ seven miles above Quebec City. It was to some management personnel. ~ ffi'.! be the largest bridge of its kind in the @! world, designed to set a record for a steel An investigation was conducted by a ~ Royal Commission appointed by the ffi! ~ cantilever span of 1,800 feet. Canadian government and published on ~ ~ Construction was being done by the March 14, 1908. It was very confusing, ifil ffi'.! Phoenix Bridge Company. They hired placing some blame on the engineers' ffi! @! men at 50 cents an hour from all over design, the policies of the Phoenix @! ~ the United States and Canada. The com- Bridge Company, and the Quebec Bridge ~ ~ pany would have preferred only non- and Railway Company. As a result none ffi! ffi! union men but they found they needed of the wives were able to sue for dam- Ii~~~~~fil @! skilled workers for this job. However, ages. ~ many of the workers became dissatisfied. ifil When a man quit, the company would A new bridge was designed. The cen- ffi'.! deduct from his wages the amount they tral span also collapsed while being put @! had paid for his transportation to and ~ from the work site. On August 6th, in place in 1916. Fortunately no lives ffi! almost two weeks before the collapse, were lost at this time. The bridge finally @! many of the men had gone on strike was completed and opened for traffic in @! because of the poor working conditions. ~ By a vote of 40 to 36 they decided to go August of 1918. But the tragedy of tQ.r;1907 ranks as one of the worst ~ Wreckage of Bridge on August 29, 7907. losses of life in the history of our Union. 41