On this day in Labor History the year was 1893.
That was the day that the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Iron Ship Makers of America was founded in Chicago.
This joined two earlier boilermaker unions into one.
They decided to establish their headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas.
Two years later, the Boilermakers affiliated with the American Federation of Labor.
The union represents members of 250 lodges in the United States and Canada.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Boilermakers had about 8,500 members.
But the membership expanded, especially during World War II, as shipbuilding grew for the war.
By 1944, there were more than 350,000 Boilermakers.
In 1954, they merged with the International Brotherhood of Blacksmiths, Drop Forgers and Helpers, and expanded their name to include these groups of workers.
But what exactly is a boilermaker?
According to the union’s website the term can have many meanings.
It might refer to a Purdue University student or alumni, whose football team started going by the name of the boilermakers in 1891.
Or boilermaker might refer to dropping a shot of whiskey into a draft of beer, and drinking it all at once.
But for the labor movement a boilermaker is someone that constructs and repairs boilers, and the other workers who are part of the union.
These might include “blacksmiths, forgers, ship builders, cement workers, stove workers, metal polishers, or numerous other job descriptions.”
The boilermaker’s union logo reflects these workers.
It includes images of a ship, a worker working on a boiler, and a blacksmith’s anvil.
Below the images are found the words “Unity, Progress and Protection” declaring the mission of the union and its members.
April 2 - Trouble in the Sweetest Place on Earth
April 1 - The Promise of 1946
March 31 - Hospital Workers Stand United
March 30 - 15th Amendment Adopted
March 29 - West Coast Hotel v Parrish Decided
March 28 - Partial Meltdown at Three Mile Island
March 27 - FE Strikers Battle Police at Harvester
March 26 - Police Attack UE Amid ‘46 Strike Wave
March 25 - Centralia Coal Mine #5 Explodes
March 24 - Exxon Valdez Runs Aground
March 23 - Texas City Refinery Explosion Kills 15
March 22 - ERA Passes the Senate
March 21 - Truman Signs Loyalty Order
March 20 - Another Deadly Explosion
March 19 - Wartime President Pushes for Labor Peace
March 18 - Wartime Workers Betrayed
March 17 - The Hoggs Hollow Tragedy
March 16 - Big Bill Haywood Talks General Strike
March 15 - The Grapes of Wrath Opens in Theaters
March 14 - Remembering Walter Crane
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