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Our History
A Union is Born
The Turbulent Years
The Conspiracy Trials
The Beginning of the
Morrin Era
The Depression and a New
Deal For Labor
World War II
Ironworkers Grow in the
1950's Part Two Part Three
John H. Lyons Jr.
Elected President
The Tradition Continues
Pathways to the 21st
Century Under The Leadership of General President Jake West
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Part One
Throughout the early hours of the day, while other buildings were toppling into the streets, the steel frame buildings 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.
After the Tenth International Convention held in Detroit Michigan in September, 1906 the International Association was moved permanently to Indianapolis, Indiana. Until then, the International Association was always located in the city of the Secretary/Treasurer. If and when the Secretary/Treasurer moved, so did our International. It was important that a permanent residence be found. Indianapolis was chosen to be that place. The main reason was due to the fact that most of the other International Unions were located in that city. THE QUEBEC BRIDGE DISASTER OF 1907
D. B. Haley wrote a letter to the Bridgemen's Magazine about what happened and it was published in the October 1907 issue. Haley was lucky he only had his legs and ankles badly sprained in his fall into the river. Haley had come from Wheeling, West Virginia in June of 1907 to work on the bridge. The work was being done by Local No. 87. The bridge was being built for Canada's transcontinental railroad about seven miles above Quebec City. It was to be the largest bridge of its kind in the world, designed to set a record for a steel cantilever span of 1,800 feet. Construction was being done by the Phoenix Bridge Company. They hired men at 50 cents an hour from all over the United States and Canada. The company would have preferred only non-union men but they found they needed skilled workers for this job. However, many of the workers became dissatisfied. When a man quit, the company would deduct from his wages the amount they had paid for his transportation to and from the work site. On August 6, almost two weeks before the disaster, many of the men had gone on strike because of the poor working conditions. By a vote of 40 to 36 they decided to go back to work on August 10th. Engineers inspected the bridge on August 26th and 27th and noticed that some of the cantilever arms were buckling. None of the men were told about the problem in order to keep them from leaving the job. The General Foreman disregarded the orders of the engineers and told the men to continue working.
An investigation was conducted by a Royal Commission appointed by the Canadian Government and published on March 14, 1908. It was very confusing, placing some of the blame on the engineers' design, the policies of the Phoenix Bridge Company, and the Quebec Bridge Company. As a result, none of the wives were able to sue for damages. A new bridge was designed. The Central Span also collapsed while being put in place in 1916. Fortunately no lives were lost at this time. The bridge finally was completed in 1918. But the tragedy of 1907 ranks as one of he worst losses of life in the history of our Union. Eighty-six construction workers dead, fifty of them Ironworkers. At the Eleventh International Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 16 - 25, 1907 the following Memorial Resolution was adopted: WHEREAS, it is with sincere regret that the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers learns of the death of fifty of its members in what is known as the "Quebec Bridge Disaster", and WHEREAS, by this appalling accident, consternation and dismay has been visited upon the relatives and friends of our departed brothers, and one of our Canadian Locals almost wiped out of existence; therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers in convention assembled deeply deplores the loss of so many of its members and extends to the parents, relatives and friends of our deceased brothers heartfelt sympathy in this their hour of sorrow and great grief; and, be it further RESOLVED, that as a mark of the esteem in which we hold our departed brethren, one page of the official proceedings of this convention be set aside as a suitable memorial to the memory of the victims of the Quebec Bridge Disaster.
On February 10, 1908 the Building Trades Department was founded and on March 20, 1908 the AFL issued the formal charter to the seven founding members of the Department which included Ironworkers President, Frank M. Ryan.
Scroll to the top and click on "The Turbulent Years 1906 - 1912 - Part Two"
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In
the June issue of the 1906 The
Bridgemen's Magazine an article
titled "STEEL CITY WILL
RISE ABOVE RUINS": April
20, 1906 - Wednesday's frightful earthquake shocks demonstrated the
utility of the steel frame buildings in this country. When San
Francisco is rebuilt, brick and stone will be rejected in favor of the
steel skeleton building. Many such buildings are in ruins, but
they have been destroyed by fire and not by the shaking of the earth.
On
Thursday, August 29, 1907 the Quebec Railroad Bridge collapsed. A
20,000 ton section of the bridge fell 300 feet into the St. Lawrence
River. A total of fifty Ironworkers and thirty-six other workers
were killed.
On
Thursday, August 29 the crash came without a moments notice, Among
those killed were 33 Canadian Ironworker Indian members. The Indians
were members of the Caughnawaga Indian Reservation. They left 25
Widows and numerous fatherless children behind. Six apprentices were
also killed, along with some management personnel.
