International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Encyclopedia
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) is a labor union
in the United States
and Canada
which represents bricklayer
s, pointers/cleaners/caulkers, stone and marble masons
, cement masons
, plasterer
s, tile
setters, terrazzo
and mosaic
workers. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO
and the Canadian Labour Congress
.
BAC was founded in 1865 as the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America (BMPIU). It was established during a great wave of blue-collar union formation in the 1860s, during which the iron puddlers, locomotive engineers, cigarmakers, carpenters, tailors, painters and heaters' unions were founded.
The union's first Canadian unions were chartered in 1881, making the union truly international.
By the early 1900s, however, BAC was nearly bankrupt. In 1904, William J. Bowen was elected president. Bowen not only restored the union to financial health, but created the union's first widow's pension
fund and strike fund. Bowen led the Bricklayers into affiliation with the American Federation of Labor
(AFL), and himself later served on the National War Labor Board
.
High officials of the Bricklayers are crucial for the history of the AFL and the Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO). Richard J. Gray was treasurer of the union in the early 1930s, and his staunch advocacy of craft unionism
and his abrasive personality contributed significantly to the break between the AFL and the CIO. Later, however, BAC president Harry Bates was one of three AFL delegates to the committee which in 1955 helped merge the AFL and the Congress of Industrial Organizations
.
In 2000, the BAC created a "Canadian Congress" to give Canadian members a more powerful, effective voice in union affairs.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which represents bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
s, pointers/cleaners/caulkers, stone and marble masons
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
, cement masons
Concrete finisher
A concrete finisher, also known as a cement mason, is a tradesman who works with concrete. The job entails placing, finishing, protecting and repairing concrete in engineering and construction projects. Concrete finishers are often responsible for setting the concrete forms, ensuring they have the...
, plasterer
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...
s, tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
setters, terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
workers. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
and the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
.
BAC was founded in 1865 as the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America (BMPIU). It was established during a great wave of blue-collar union formation in the 1860s, during which the iron puddlers, locomotive engineers, cigarmakers, carpenters, tailors, painters and heaters' unions were founded.
The union's first Canadian unions were chartered in 1881, making the union truly international.
By the early 1900s, however, BAC was nearly bankrupt. In 1904, William J. Bowen was elected president. Bowen not only restored the union to financial health, but created the union's first widow's pension
Widow's pension
A widow's pension is a payment from the government of a country to a person whose spouse has died.Generally, such payments are made to a widow whose late spouse has satisfied the country's requirements, including contribution, cohabitation, and length of marriage.-United States:In the United...
fund and strike fund. Bowen led the Bricklayers into affiliation with the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL), and himself later served on the National War Labor Board
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a federal agency created in April 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was composed of twelve representatives from business and labor, and co-chaired by Former President William Howard Taft. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers in...
.
High officials of the Bricklayers are crucial for the history of the AFL and the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
(CIO). Richard J. Gray was treasurer of the union in the early 1930s, and his staunch advocacy of craft unionism
Craft unionism
Craft unionism refers to organizing a union in a manner that seeks to unify workers in a particular industry along the lines of the particular craft or trade that they work in by class or skill level...
and his abrasive personality contributed significantly to the break between the AFL and the CIO. Later, however, BAC president Harry Bates was one of three AFL delegates to the committee which in 1955 helped merge the AFL and the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
.
In 2000, the BAC created a "Canadian Congress" to give Canadian members a more powerful, effective voice in union affairs.