International Union of Operating Engineer's
Welcome to the unofficial operator's home page. I am a member of Local 150 which is in the Great Lakes Region.
IUOE celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 1996. Founded Dec. 7, 1896 in Chicago, ILL. as the National Union of Steam Engineers of America by a group of 11 men from eight states representing some 400 workers. The first president was C. J. Delong of Chicago . J.M. Smales of Denver was chosen as its first secretary-treasurer.
Vincent J. Giblin is our General President today.
The name they chose, the National Union of Steam Engineers of America, was not meant to exclude any other types of engineers. It was chosen simply because, as you know, steam was practically the only motive power in use in those days.
That was also the reasoning behind the adoption of the steam gauge as the union's official emblem or logo.
When first adopted, the needle on the logo pointed to 80 psi; it later changed to 420 by the General Executive Board - for unknown reasons. This founding convention also adopted a Declaration of Principles, most of which are still valid today.
The delegates pledged support of the American Federation of Labor ... endorsed the union label ... urged adoption of a uniform
license law nationally ... and vowed to secure a higher standard of wages for it members.
The convention also dispatched delegates to the American Federation of Labor Convention the following week in
Cincinnati to petition for a charter, which was approved and issued on may 7, 1897.
Following acceptance into the AFL, the National Union of Steam Engineers began granting chargers to its local unions.
Charter #1 was issued to the Brotherhood of Steams Engineers of Denver, Colorado on June 23, 1897.
In August of that year, the first convention staged under the AFL charter was held in St. Louis, Delegates
elected Frank Bowker of Boston as president.
Bowker, however, died January 1, 1898 and First Vice president Frank Pfohl of Syracuse was elected to take the post.
Toward the end of 1879, the first Canadian workers joined the fledgling union.
In recognition of this expanded jurisdiction, the union changed it name to the International Union of Steam Engineers of America,
which shortly after was shortened by the General Executive Board to the International Union of Steam Engineers.
This name lasted until the convention of 1912 when it was changed to the International Union of Steam and Operating Engineers to reflect the influx of more and more construction workers.
Finally, many years later as members began working with internal combustion engines, electric motors and
hydraulic machinery, the word "steam" was dropped from the union's name.
In 1928 it adopted its present name, The International Union of Operating Engineers.
The union progressed through dedicated leadership, sacrifice, sweat and perserverance.
The IUOE today has 400,000 members in some 170 local unions throughout the United States and Canada. The IUOE is the 12th largest union in the AFL-CIO and the 3rd largest in the Canadian Federation of Labour. Further, nearly 100 apprenticeship and training programs,jointly managed by the IUOE and employers, work hard to ensure that IUOE members are highly trained, highly skilled craft workers.
For more detailed history on the operating Engineers; read The operating engineers: An economic History of a trade union, by Garth Magnum. This book covers the history up to 1960. From 1960-1993 read the book titled : Union resilience in troubled times, the story of the Operating Engineer's.
Keep American Job's in America
I'm Proud to be Union - A Poem
| Local 150 | Dwayne's World |
You can reach me by e-mail at: Ddurfee@crown.net
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