Carpenter Contractors history

Four-million new workers joined unions during the fifties, and 25.2% of the labor force belonged to unions in 1956.

Starting in the mid 1960's apprentices were "indentured" to the Joint Apprenticeship school and sent out to work for contractors until the jobs were done.By the end of the decade, however, the contractors and carpenters, were unable to agree on a new contract.

In the fall of 1968, 308 was directed to merge with the South East Iowa District Council.

In 1969 Local 308 decided to try to win more "non-taxable items" in their contract.

By 1970 the first signs appeared that the seventies would be years of high wages and plenty jobs for the carpenters of Cedar Rapids.

Even the wage controls the Nixon administration implemented in 1971 did not hamper the rising wages of Cedar Rapids carpenters.

In December 1973, the UBCJ executive board merged the SE Iowa District with the Eastern Iowa District to form the Five River District Council that included Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Ottawa and Davenport.

On September 16, 1974 this rank and file group made its mandate clear at a special meeting attended by hundreds of 308 carpenters and several general officers.

In the fall of 1976 a committee was formed to investigate the affairs of Five River.

Carpenters from Cedar Rapids recognized the historic role the union played in securing them a decent wage, and membership reached an all time high in 1979 of 722 members.Though 308 gained members during the seventies, its overall growth was modest.

In 1980, the economy began to stagnate.

In the spring of 1981 the locals in Five River regained their right to elect the officers of the Council, and the internal affairs of 308 became more stable.

Local 308's first woman member became Financial Secretary in 1982.Soon after 308 recovered from the conflicts surrounding the District Council, an economic recession almost as severe as the Great Depression threatened the strength of Local 308.

The union sold its old building in 1985 and began renting space from the District Council at the new building.

In August 1988 the general office dissolved the Five River District Council.

By late 1992 more than 500 local unions nationwide had begun to implement this practice, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Remodeling totaled approximately $113.5 billion in 1993.

Fueled by lower interest rates, the housing industry began a slow but steady rebound in 1994.

In December 1996 the Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa District Council became the Heartland District Council and now includes Des Moines and Sioux City.

The largest companies involved in carpentry, according to Ward's Business Directory of United States Private and Public Companies (1999) were BT Mancini Company Inc., Center Brothers Inc., Door Systems Inc., and J Mar and Sons Inc.

Carpenters make up one of the largest building trade groups in the United States, holding approximately 1.2 million jobs in 2000.

In 2001, the UBC opened its new Washington, D.C., headquarters at 101 Constitution Ave., just across from the United States Capitol.

Winston, Sherrie. "Carpenters Fill Out the Lineup in Reunified Building Trades." ENR (Engineering News Record) , 9 December 2002, 11.

Stanton, Justin. "Carpenters and Joiners Can Aim for New Master Certificate." Contract Journal, 8 May 2003, 3.

Adriana Christenson says: September 21, 2016 at 6:44 pm Loved this overview of the history of woodworking! Appreciated the inclusion of Biblical contributions 🙂 Thanks for this article! Reply

Chandana wimaladasa says: December 8, 2018 at 10:14 pm It’s very informative article.

mike whittle says: April 20, 2019 at 12:14 pm A good informative summary of the skill and history of carpentry, well done Sir, thanks for your efforts.

Kannapolis Tree Service says: July 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm Thank you for describing the history if woodworking in detail.