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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 Two
In the January, 1942 issue of the Bridgemen's Magazine the opening story dealt with the fact that the A. F. of L. through all of its affiliates pledged to purchase one billion dollars worth of United States Defense Bonds. At the same time our International Association subscribed for $100,000 worth of Defense Bonds, as well as $180,000 worth of United States Treasury Notes to help win the war. Before the war was over the government had six "War Loan Drives" and our Union and other unions invested to help end the war.
EARLY FIGHTING IN THE PACIFIC Many members of our Union and other construction workers were working at the time of the early Japanese attacks in the Pacific. There were 10,000 A. F. of L. members working in Hawaii, 700 stationed on Midway, 400 at Guam and a small number on Wake Island.
Ironically the Ironworkers and other construction workers captured by the Japanese on Wake Island at first received no compensation. While the government passed a bill covering the families of soldiers captured, nothing was done for the workers captured. The A. F. of L. found that their families were in a terrible state and asked Congress for legislation to cover them. A bill was passed to pay 70% of their salary to their families and the rest placed in a fund for them upon their liberation, however, this payment was only retroactive to January 4, 1944. Finally Congress passed legislation in November of 1945 that gave them their pay retroactive to January 1, 1942.
REORGANIZING FOR WAR After Pearl harbor Congress passed the "War Powers Act" giving extraordinary powers to the President. Roosevelt would set up various Federal Agencies and distribute various wartime tasks to them. One of the agencies created was the War Production Board (WPB) with a Labor Production Division headed by a labor representative. The purpose of this division was to set up joint labor-management committees and to take suggestions from workers on how the war plant could operate more efficiently. Although this was denounced by industry as socialism and as a "foolish experiment," over 5000 factories would take part, and production increased. Another problem was manpower. Before the war ended 11 million men and women would enter the armed forces. Of this number about 60% or about 6.5 million were taken from industry and the building trades. In 1941 there were still eight million unemployed in spite of Roosevelt's New Deal. Some of them went into the war plants but many went into the military service. New war plants located in rural areas recruited farmers. Many senior citizens went back to work, and child labor legislation was relaxed to allow two million older teenagers to work.
However, one of the largest
sources of new labor was
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World War II and the Post War
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he
following is the letter sent by General President Morrin to the President
on December 8, 1941 and the reply our International received:
International
Association of Bridge,
The
White House
Many
Ironworkers not only would serve in all branches of the military, but they
would serve in the "Seabees." The fighting, never-say-die
spirit of America's workers was exemplified in the South Pacific, when the
battle-scarred U. S. aircraft carrier Yorktown, damaged in the battle of
the Coral Sea was made ready for further battle by the Seabees who made
emergency repairs at sea while the carrier was steaming to the scene of
the battle of Midway. Part of the repairs was actually completed
while the ship was in battle. 
Seabees
were men recruited for the Navy principally through the cooperation of A.
F. of L. building trades unions. They were all volunteers, forming
the Navy's Construction Battalion, trained to work and fight.
Typical of these men was John J. Wade of Local 373 in Perth Amboy, New
Jersey who served with the Seabees in the 107th Battalion for three and a
half years in the South Pacific. After the war he continued in his
post as Recording Secretary of local 373 and became Assistant Business
Agent in 1946. Eventually, upon the death of Business Agent Wesley
T. Hansen he was elected Business Agent until his retirement in
1975. He celebrated his 90th birthday in November, 2000 and is
still active in the affairs of the local. He has been a member
of Local 373 for seventy-two years since his initiation in 1928.
