Prelude
Our History
Before 1896
Part
One
Part
Two
A Union is Born
1880 - 1906
Part
One
Part
Two
Part
Three
The Turbulent Years
1906 - 1912
Part
One
Part
Two
Part
Three
Part
Four
Part
Five
The Conspiracy Trials
and Aftermath
1912 - 1918
Part
One
Part
Two
Part
Three
Part
Four
The Beginning of the
Morrin Era
1918 - 1929
Part One
Part Two
Part
Three
Part
Four
The Depression and a New
Deal For Labor
1930 - 1940
Part One
Part Two
Part
Three
Part
Four
Part
Five
World War II
and the Post War Struggles
1941 - 1952
Part One
Part Two
Part
Three
Part
Four
Part
Five
Ironworkers Grow in the
1950's
1953 - 1961
Part
One
Part
Two
Part Three
John H. Lyons Jr.
Elected President
1961 - 1976
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
The Tradition Continues
1977 - 1988
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Pathways to the 21st
Century Under The Leadership of General President Jake West
1989 - Present
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
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It's now been one hundred and five years
since our union was founded. In order to do justice to the task of
creating a credible history I have to be sure I don't compress it too
much. Doing that would only make the facts seem disconnected and
not make sense. This means I have to create many pages that will
take a long time to do. Especially since I'm not the world's
greatest typist. I taught myself to type many years ago when I was
in the Navy. I never learned to do it right.
My
main source for this history is the one hundredth anniversary
publication of "A History of the Iron
Workers Union" that was created by our
International under the authorship of Vice President Raymond J.
Robertson. As I complete each page I'll place a link to it in the
left hand column. I'll try to do at least one web page per
week. A Sister member from Local 377 is also doing a history of
our union on her web site. We should all check that one out
also. To do so Click
Here.
We have had a very volatile history,
especially in the early years. With the powerful forces that were
allied against us it's a wonder we survived. It took the courage
and dedication of many good men, officers and rank-and-file, who
sacrificed their time, freedom, reputations, fortunes and sometimes even
their lives. It will take the same kind of dedication for us to
survive our second hundred years. Read what General President West
had to say in his introduction to the 100th Anniversary Book.
.
Whatever hard experience had
pushed them, it was an act of faith - and vision - which
led them.
That it was the right
time is proved by the fact that the union has lived and
thrived. It survived an infancy of hard and bitter
times; it struggled through a turbulent adolescence
wherein the waywardness of some officers later required
stricter internal discipline; finally it grew into
robust manhood.
The union developed into
maturity to what it is today: a vital and constructive
component of the American Labor Movement and of our two
nations as a whole. The International Association
of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers,
AFL-CIO is a source of pride to our membership and it
presents a challenge to our stewardship now and in the
future.
This history is
dedicated, with gratitude, to our founders and to those
who guided our union from its inception. We are in
their debt - they made our opportunity and challenge
possible.
With the commitment and
strength of our membership, we will meet that challenge
head on and maintain our rightful place in the
"Life of North America".
.
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I would like to thank
General Vice President Raymond J. Robertson who wrote the
history of the Iron Workers Union with the assistance of
numerous individuals that did research and provided
valuable information which enabled this book to be
completed.
Jake West
General President
IABSO&RIW
When General President Jake West
asked me to write the one hundred year history of the Iron
Workers Union, I knew it would be a tremendous
undertaking. I would like to single out a few of the
people who provided research and other help to me as we
brought this book through the long process of
publication. I would like to thank Martin Byrne,
Editor of the Ironworker Magazine
and Executive Assistant to General President Jake
West. Also, General Organizers Mike White and George
Cross who did a lot of the digging that formed the
framework of the book. Brother Cross was
particularly helpful in providing information on our
Shopmen. A special thanks to William "Red"
Collins, retired member and officer of Pittsburgh Locals
No. 818 and 3, who unearthed a great deal of early history
and some historic photographs of our founding convention
in Pittsburgh.
I would also like to thank William
Adelman, an American labor historian and Professor
emeritus at the University of Illinois for the many hours
he worked doing research. In addition we owe thanks
to James J. Clarke, who did some of the basic historical
research for the book. And, last but not least, I
wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to many of our
local unions and some of the "old timers" who
provided historical information that made this book
possible. Because of the assistance these
individuals gave, I was confident that the book would be
finished in time for the 39th International Convention
celebrating the Centennial of the International
Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron
Workers, AFL-CIO.
Raymond J.
Robertson
General Vice President
IABSO&RIW
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Let's get moving then. Scroll up and
in the left hand column click on "Our
History Before 1896"
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