International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers, Local 55 records

The records of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, and Ornamental Ironworkers, Local 55, include the minutes of the executive board, the Wage Negotiation Committee and the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. Correspondence, steward reports, agreements, contracts, financial ledgers and reports, membership records, and apprentice educational material round out the collection. Taken together, this collection provides a rather in-depth look into the activities and thoughts of union officials and the employers who contract with them.

At the heart of the collection are the minutes. Not only do these records document the activities of the executive board, the minutes follow negotiations concerning contracts and agreements, and the activities of the union's educational programs. The minutes of the executive board act as a brief introduction to the union's history. Although the series is nearly complete, gaps do occur from March 1920 through December 1923, November 1942 through December 1944, and July 1971 to June 1972. The minutes of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee are complete despite their short span from 1953 through 1965. Finally, the minutes of the Wage Negotiating Committee cover the years from 1960 to 1986, and exist in four-year intervals that span the life of each successive agreement. Applications for membership, member termination notices, and attendance lists are also included.

The correspondence is rather extensive (1948-1986) but scattered, and includes letters between the union and the International Headquarters, government agencies, union members, employers, the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, the Associated Building Contractors, and the inter-trade Joint Apprenticeship Committee. The Collective Bargaining Agreements are complete from 1948 through 1994. The agreements span two and four-year intervals and are a valuable source for researchers looking to document the ways in which unions have impacted corporate management and the local economy over time.

Additional materials consist of the financial reports, the steward reports, and the educational printed material. Although the steward reports are extensive and complete, the records span only three years from 1973-1975, with the exception of one from 1979-1980. Although they provide a limited amount of information, the reports may be of use to those researchers looking to find documentation of job site problems or activities. The financial records are limited and include dues registers (1926-1929, 1931-1936, 1942-1946), financial reports, payment vouchers, payroll information sheets, and wage scale forms. The printed materials consist of three journal articles on apprenticeship training, a newspaper clipping about the union's training program, apprenticeship training standards, journeyman examinations, general working rules, and miscellaneous pamphlets.

MINUTES (Executive Reports on Microfilm); 1918-1920, 1924-1942, 1945-1973; arranged chronologically. These Executive Board meeting minutes contain a record of members present, receipts, disbursements, motions proposed and carried, new and unfinished business, and financial reports for the union. Correspondence, resolutions, attendance records, and official ballots are included in this series.

MINUTES (Joint Apprenticeship Council); 1953-1965; arranged chronologically. The minutes of the Joint Apprenticeship Council of Ironworkers Local 55 consist of negotiations and discussions with various other trade union apprenticeship committees and with contracted employers. Included are discussions concerning apprenticeship training and education, wage rates, the hiring of apprentices for contracted jobs, reimbursement considerations for apprentice education, and discipline measures taken for apprentices not in compliance with JAC rules and regulations.

MINUTES (Wage Negotiation Committee); 1960-1986; arranged chronologically. The Wage Negotiation Committee meeting minutes contain a record of the meetings held between the officers of the Ironworkers Local 55, and the contract management officials of the Associated Building Contractors, Inc. The minutes include discussions concerning agreements, union and management proposals, the hiring of non-union employees, workers compensation, insurance benefits, vacation time, and hours worked. Separate union recommendations, resolutions, union proposal packages, management statements, and negotiation notes from officers of Local 55 are also included.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS; 1953-1975; arranged chronologically. Application forms of individuals joining as apprentice and as journeymen the membership of Ironworkers Local 55. Included are the names of each individual, date of birth, address and telephone number, education level, work experience, and the name of the union member sponsoring the individual.

MEMBER TEMINATION NOTICES; 1955-1968, 1986; arranged chronologically. Written as formal letters of summons, these notices contain reasons for the termination of an apprentice enrolled in the training program. In most cases, the apprentice is summoned to appear before the Joint Apprenticeship Council for a formal review by the Business Manager.

RECORD OF ATTENDANCE; 1956, 1959; arranged chronologically. Lists of members in attendance for union meetings, this record includes the addresses and number of absences of each member for each meeting.

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT; 1954-1986; arranged chronologically. These memos contain the contents of Agreements between Local 55 and the Associated Building Contractors. Included are the major articles of negotiation and an introductory statement of explanation. Each memo was issued after the publication of each successive Agreement.

CORRESPONDENCE (Contracted Employers); 1950-1986; arranged chronologically by correspondent. Consists of correspondence between Ironworkers Local 55, the Associated Building Contractors of Toledo, and the Northwest Ohio Council of Construction Employers. The bulk of the letters concern negotiations for pending and existing Agreements, including articles to be discussed, wage adjustments for current Agreements, and benefits. In addition, the correspondence addresses points of disagreement between labor officials and management.

CORRESPONDENCE (Ironworkers International Headquarters); 1947-1986; arranged chronologically by correspondent. This correspondence consists of telegrams and letters between Ironworkers Local 55 and the International Headquarters located in St. Louis, Missouri. The correspondence primarily focuses on the International's guidance of and suggestions for Local 55. Included are discussions of strikes, individual members, dues, wage negotiations, Agreements with local contractors, general working rules of Ironworkers International, financial concerns, and information relating to General Executive Board decisions.

CORRESPONDENCE (Union notices); 1952-1982 (scattered); arranged chronologically. These meeting notices, or calls for union votes are in the form of circular letters and consist of information relating to upcoming meetings, including the ratification of pending agreements, strike votes, strike schedules and updates.

CORRESPONDENCE (Joint Apprenticeship Council); 1955-1971; arranged chronologically by correspondent. Consists of letters between the Joint Apprenticeship Council members of Local 55, other Council members in different trades, the Ironworkers International and individual contracted employers. Included are discussions concerning the training and education of apprentices, annual apprenticeship conferences, government legislation concerning labor and apprentices, and notices of completion for apprentices in the training program.

CORRESPONDENCE (NW Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council); 1951-1986 (limited); arranged chronologically. This correspondence between Ironworkers Local 55 and the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council primarily concern wage negotiations for the Ironworkers as they fit into the wage scales and negotiations for the construction trades as a whole.

CORRESPONDENCE (government agencies); 1951-1982 (scattered); arranged chronologically by correspondent. Included in this correspondence are the Ohio Board of Education, the Bureau of Workman's Compensation, the Department of Industrial Relations, and the U.S. Department of Labor. The bulk of the correspondence deals with issues related to labor, wage and hour provisions, and union activities.

STEWARD REPORTS; 1972-1975; arranged alphabetically by Contractor. This series consists of weekly reports submitted by the steward assigned by Local 55 to a particular job. Listed alphabetically by contractor, the reports contain information that includes the names of union men on the job, the hours each man worked, the description of the job, the job location, dues status for members on the job, and miscellaneous concerns and comments by the steward.

AGREEMENTS; 1948-1994; arranged chronologically. Agreements are legal binding contracts entered into by the Ironworkers Local 55 and the Associated Building Contractors of Toledo. They span two to four-year intervals, and include articles of agreements on matters such as trade jurisdictions, wage rates, working hours, safety provisions, strikes and lockouts, working conditions, and employee benefits. The negotiating proposals of the Ironworkers are included along with the Agreement in some instances.

AGREEMENT AMENDMENTS; 1948-1989; arranged chronologically. Legal changes to existing Agreements, these Amendments replace specific Agreement articles. The majority of Amendments address changes in existing wage rates and working conditions in specific Agreements.

CONTRACTS; 1961, 1962; arranged chronologically. The first contract deals with the employment of apprentices, and was entered into by Local 55 and the Bureau of Workman's Compensation. The second contract concerns the Vacation and Benefits plan for members of Local 55.

CONTRACT MEDIATION FORMS; 1957-1984 (scattered); arranged chronologically. These forms were filed with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Agency by the Ironworkers Local 55 in cooperation with the Associated Building Contractors when negotiations for an Agreement reached an impasse. They contain information on both Local 55 and the Building Contractors included addresses, names of officials, and the nature of the disagreement.

LEGISLATION; 1959. An Apprentice Bill, passed by the Ohio Senate, was designed to encourage apprenticeship programs in the skilled trades by providing for training and education. The goal of the Bill was to provide Ohio with a skilled labor force and to prepare young men for employment and citizenship.

DUES REGISTERS; 1926-1929, 1931-1936, 1942-1946; arranged chronologically. These registers contain a record of dues payments made by individual union members. Included are members' names, date of initiation, amounts paid, and payment dates. An individual dues ledger, maintained by member John Winkler, is included.

FINANCIAL REPORTS/BUDGET; 1958-1959; arranged chronologically. Consists of budget reports for the Joint Apprenticeship Committee, including expenditures, salaries paid, receipts, etc.

FINANCIAL LEDGERS; 1946-1979; arranged chronologically. The ledgers contain a running list of union expenditures and reimbursements, and a list of wage rates for union members.

PAYROLL INFORMATION SHEETS; 1975-1983; arranged chronologically. Contains a list of payroll deductions and remittances of fringe benefits for journeymen ironworkers as directed by the International Headquarters.

WAGE SCALE FORMS; 1946-1979 (scattered); arranged chronologically. Consists of a listing of wages paid yearly to trade journeymen. Listed by trade and year.

PAYMENT VOUCHERS; 1963-1965; arranged chronologically. These forms, used by the Joint Apprenticeship Committee, document the committee's expenditures and include the name of the company or individual paid and the items or services paid for.

JOURNAL ARTICLES/PUBLICATONS; 1952, 1956, 1957; arranged chronologically. Included are articles on apprenticeship training and education: "Apprenticeship: The Past and Present" "Answers to Questions about the Educational Fund" "Apprenticeship: The Lifeline of the Electric Industry" Digest

NEWSPAPER CLIPPING; 1958. Consists of a short article chronicling the work that John Kasap, a Business Manager for Local 55, had done for the Ironworker apprentice training program.

APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING STANDARDS; 1954, 1959,1963, 1965; arranged chronologically. Consists of detailed plans to implement an effective and profitable education and training program for apprentices. Included are provisions on school instruction, apprenticeship working hours, wage rates, and rules and regulations for enrolled apprentices. In addition, articles of amendment to the standards are included.

GENERAL WORKING RULES; 1976. A booklet of rules and regulations governing the International Association of Ironworkers.

JOURNEYMAN EXAMINATIONS; undated. Examinations given to apprentices upon completion of the training program.

FIELD DIRECTORY; undated. A directory of apprenticeship programs and committees issued by the Ohio Bureau of Apprenticeship.

PAMPHLETS; undated. The pamphlets include descriptions of training films, issued by the International Headquarters, for Ironworker apprentice education and training programs.