Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America

Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America was a major labor union in the United States and Canada representing skilled craft workers in the building trades. Founded in the aftermath of the American Civil War, it played a significant role in establishing craft standards and wage scales within the construction industry. The union eventually merged into the modern International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers after a series of 20th-century consolidations.

History

The union was founded on October 17, 1865, in Baltimore, Maryland, as the Bricklayers National Union, emerging from earlier local societies in cities like New York City and Philadelphia. Its formation was part of a broader post-Civil War wave of national craft union organization, contemporaneous with groups like the Knights of Labor. In 1910, it changed its name to the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America to more accurately reflect its expanding craft jurisdiction. Throughout its history, it engaged in numerous jurisdictional disputes with other building trades unions, including the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association.

Structure and governance

The union was structured as an international union, with authority over local unions across the United States and Canada. Governance was vested in a biennial convention where delegates from local unions elected international officers, including a president and secretary-treasurer. Between conventions, an executive board, composed of the international officers and elected regional vice-presidents, managed affairs. This model was typical of craft unions within the American Federation of Labor, emphasizing local autonomy within a national framework for collective bargaining and strike support.

Jurisdiction and work

The union's primary jurisdiction covered all work involving brick, stone, block, tile, terrazzo, marble, and plaster. This included bricklayers, stonemasons, tile setters, terrazzo workers, and plasterers engaged in the construction of buildings, monuments, and other structures. The union was instrumental in developing and protecting skilled craft standards, including apprenticeship programs that often required several years of training. Its members worked on iconic projects ranging from early skyscrapers in Chicago to major New Deal projects like the Triborough Bridge and Hoover Dam.

Political activity and affiliations

Politically, the union was a steadfast affiliate of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and later the AFL–CIO following the 1955 merger. It generally supported the Democratic Party and advocated for pro-labor legislation, including the Davis–Bacon Act of 1931, which established prevailing wage requirements on federal construction projects. The union also participated in broader labor political bodies like the League for Political Education and was active in lobbying for workers' compensation laws and against right-to-work laws in various states.

Notable strikes and contracts

The union was involved in many significant labor actions, including a major 1904 strike in New York City that sought to enforce union standards and an eight-hour day. In the 1920s, it participated in coordinated building trades strikes in cities like Chicago and Boston. One of its most consequential achievements was helping to establish the "Chicago Plan" in the early 1900s, a landmark collective bargaining agreement that created a stable system for wages, hours, and dispute resolution in the Chicago construction industry, which became a model for other cities.

Leadership and membership

Key leaders included its first president, Henry J. Prosser, and later influential figures like James J. Eldridge and John T. Joyce, who also served as president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL–CIO. Membership fluctuated with the construction cycle, peaking in the post-World War II building boom with over 100,000 members. The union faced significant challenges from open shop movements in the 1920s and again in the 1970s. It eventually merged with the International Masonry Institute and other related unions to form the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers in the 1970s and 1980s.