| Serving Arkansas and Oklahoma |
| The UBC: A Brief History |
The history of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (BCJA) dates
back to the 1880s. Its founding father, Peter J. McGuire, was just 29 years old when
he and carpenters from 11 other cities met in Chicago to lay the foundation of today's
union.
The BCJA, later known as the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of
America, attracted craftsmen who brought from Europe their skills and their tradition of
craft guilds. They came to the United States because the young country's rapid
growth offered what seemed like unlimited opportunities for those who could shape
commercial buildings, houses, ships, wharves and warehouses. Craftsmen hoped
union membership would improve working conditions and wages, and, by 1885, more
than 5,700 carpenters had joined McGuire's brotherhood.
In the mid-1880s, new technology was dramatically changing many jobs, and in
Industrial Revolution transformed the way people did -- and viewed -- business. The
image of the fair and considerate employer was replaced with cartoons of railroad
barons and speculators. The fledgling labor movement turned militant, and the
Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (the predecessor of the American
Federation of Labor) called for a general strike in support of the eight-hour workday in
1886. McGuire put UBC business on hold and crisscrossed the country to rally
support for the shorter workday movement.
On May 1, 1886, carpenters led marches in major cities when more than 300,000
workers walked off their jobs. The labor action demonstrated the UBC's power, and
carpenters won increased wages and shorter workdays in 53 cities. The success of
the effort brought craftsmen flocking to the UBC, and, by September 1886,
membership had grown to more than 21,000. The AFL asked the carpenters to lead a
second wave in 1890, and more key markets set workday length at eight or nine
hours -- and UBC membership reached 55,000.
The UBC began to address issues such as work site standards, death and disability
benefits and upgrading skills. Many in the construction industry fought to curb the
UBC's influence; between 1900 and 1910, employers in major cities launched an
open-shop counterattack. But the benefits of UBC apprenticeship training and the
convenience of tapping a ready labor pool through the union hiring hall reduced the
effectiveness of open-shop movements. By 1910, UBC membership had reached
200,000.
Peter McGuire died in 1902, and his successor, Frank Duffy, shifted to a more
conservative approach. McGuire had been deeply interested in far-reaching social
change, but Duffy and his successor, William Hutcheson, focused on the rights of
union carpenters and the smooth administration of the UBC.
During World War I, the UBC fought to preserve established union shops on federal
construction sites. After the war, anti-union associations launched an assault labeled
The American Plan, forcing trade unions into arbitration hearings that slashed wages
and weakened work rules. UBC membership dropped from 400,000 in 1920 to
345,000 in 1928. But as anti-union sentiment waned and trade unions began to
recover, the economy staggared, then plummeted in the Great Depression.
By 1932, national spending on construction slumped to less than 30 percent of the
1928 spending levels. Out-of-work carpenters dropped out of the union, and UBC
membership slipped to 242,000. And while New Deal programs helped put some
people back to work, the U.S. entry into World War II marked the true end of the
Depression.
The demands of the wartime economy and the postwar prosperity in the United States
fueled the growth of organizations in general and the UBC in particular. In the 25
years after World War II, organized labor gathered in nearly a third of the work force,
and UBC membership reached the peak of 850,000 members. Even so, the postwar
building boom outstripped the UBC's ability to meet labor demands and nonunion
contractors established a presence, especially in residential housing.
back to the 1880s. Its founding father, Peter J. McGuire, was just 29 years old when
he and carpenters from 11 other cities met in Chicago to lay the foundation of today's
union.
The BCJA, later known as the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of
America, attracted craftsmen who brought from Europe their skills and their tradition of
craft guilds. They came to the United States because the young country's rapid
growth offered what seemed like unlimited opportunities for those who could shape
commercial buildings, houses, ships, wharves and warehouses. Craftsmen hoped
union membership would improve working conditions and wages, and, by 1885, more
than 5,700 carpenters had joined McGuire's brotherhood.
In the mid-1880s, new technology was dramatically changing many jobs, and in
Industrial Revolution transformed the way people did -- and viewed -- business. The
image of the fair and considerate employer was replaced with cartoons of railroad
barons and speculators. The fledgling labor movement turned militant, and the
Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (the predecessor of the American
Federation of Labor) called for a general strike in support of the eight-hour workday in
1886. McGuire put UBC business on hold and crisscrossed the country to rally
support for the shorter workday movement.
On May 1, 1886, carpenters led marches in major cities when more than 300,000
workers walked off their jobs. The labor action demonstrated the UBC's power, and
carpenters won increased wages and shorter workdays in 53 cities. The success of
the effort brought craftsmen flocking to the UBC, and, by September 1886,
membership had grown to more than 21,000. The AFL asked the carpenters to lead a
second wave in 1890, and more key markets set workday length at eight or nine
hours -- and UBC membership reached 55,000.
The UBC began to address issues such as work site standards, death and disability
benefits and upgrading skills. Many in the construction industry fought to curb the
UBC's influence; between 1900 and 1910, employers in major cities launched an
open-shop counterattack. But the benefits of UBC apprenticeship training and the
convenience of tapping a ready labor pool through the union hiring hall reduced the
effectiveness of open-shop movements. By 1910, UBC membership had reached
200,000.
Peter McGuire died in 1902, and his successor, Frank Duffy, shifted to a more
conservative approach. McGuire had been deeply interested in far-reaching social
change, but Duffy and his successor, William Hutcheson, focused on the rights of
union carpenters and the smooth administration of the UBC.
During World War I, the UBC fought to preserve established union shops on federal
construction sites. After the war, anti-union associations launched an assault labeled
The American Plan, forcing trade unions into arbitration hearings that slashed wages
and weakened work rules. UBC membership dropped from 400,000 in 1920 to
345,000 in 1928. But as anti-union sentiment waned and trade unions began to
recover, the economy staggared, then plummeted in the Great Depression.
By 1932, national spending on construction slumped to less than 30 percent of the
1928 spending levels. Out-of-work carpenters dropped out of the union, and UBC
membership slipped to 242,000. And while New Deal programs helped put some
people back to work, the U.S. entry into World War II marked the true end of the
Depression.
The demands of the wartime economy and the postwar prosperity in the United States
fueled the growth of organizations in general and the UBC in particular. In the 25
years after World War II, organized labor gathered in nearly a third of the work force,
and UBC membership reached the peak of 850,000 members. Even so, the postwar
building boom outstripped the UBC's ability to meet labor demands and nonunion
contractors established a presence, especially in residential housing.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s,
inflation, politics and dramatic economic
shifts combined to create a climate that
encouraged an open-shop philosophy.
Unions were caught off-guard; most,
including the UBC, tried to counter the
nonunion sector's growing clout with
outdated tactics. Although unions moved
successfully to organize workers in new
areas like government, union membership
and influence slipped.
From the mid-1880s to the mid-1990s, the
UBC "suffered a hemorrhage of members,
signatories and market share," wrote
General President Douglas J. McCarron.
"We had lost wages and benefits and
political clout .. We had to restructure our
union. The old structure simply could not
do the job. We had to replace it with a
structure that could organize."
inflation, politics and dramatic economic
shifts combined to create a climate that
encouraged an open-shop philosophy.
Unions were caught off-guard; most,
including the UBC, tried to counter the
nonunion sector's growing clout with
outdated tactics. Although unions moved
successfully to organize workers in new
areas like government, union membership
and influence slipped.
From the mid-1880s to the mid-1990s, the
UBC "suffered a hemorrhage of members,
signatories and market share," wrote
General President Douglas J. McCarron.
"We had lost wages and benefits and
political clout .. We had to restructure our
union. The old structure simply could not
do the job. We had to replace it with a
structure that could organize."
| PROFESSIONAL DEPENDABLE SKILLED EXPERIENCED |
| Arkansas Regional Council of Carpenters |
| Regional Locals charter dates: Local 71 Fort Smith, AR 4/1937 Local 147 Conway, AR 7/2001 Local 216 Fort Smith, AR 4/2002 Local 329 Okla. City, OK 5/1928 Local 497 Crossett, AR 2/1981 Local 576 Pine Bluff, AR 2/1981 Local 690 Little Rock, AR 12/1900 Local 891 Hot Springs, AR 8/1901 Local 943 Tulsa, OK 12/1904 Local 1225 Mtn. Home, AR 9/1999 Local 1686 Stillwater, OK 1/1918 Local 1836 Russellville, AR 3/1907 |
| Good books to read about organized labor Labor's Untold Story by Richard O. Boyer, Herbert M. Morais Carpenter's Hall: Meeting Place of History by Katherine D. Nestadt |
