Local 1 History
THE EARLY HISTORY OF
OUR LOCAL UNION IN
THE YEARS BEFORE THE FOUNDING OF THE U.A.
****************************
(1850-1890)
JOURNEYMAN PLUMBERS PROTECTIVE SOCIETIES
THE NOBLE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR
THE BIRTH OF NATIONAL PIPETRADES UNIONS
****************************
According to the official history page of the United
Association website:
“Prior to 1889, plumbers, steamfitters and gas fitters
who were organized were members of independent local unions
with either no affiliation, or affiliation with a variety of
trades.”
It is in the 40 year period of time (1850 – 1890) before
the U.A. was born, that the cornerstones of unionism were
put into place for the Journeymen Plumbers of New York City.
Locals were formed, and two national pipe trades
organizations started. These early national organizations
must be viewed as significant steps in the development of
national unionism in the pipe trades. The precedent
established by the two national organizations was almost
automatically followed by the new national union which
claimed their heritage and their jurisdiction – the United
Association.
The plumbing industry in New York City began in the
mid-1700s. A private firm in New York City constructed a
wooden pipe system under the roads, and sold water at street
pumps or hydrants. Alexander Hamilton was a partner in the
company which set up this system of bored-out logs. Water
pipes were made preferably from felled hemlock or elm trees.
The trees would be cut into seven-to-nine-foot lengths,
their trunks around 9-10" thick. They would drill or bore
out the center. Wooden pipe laid below ground created
several problems. Uneven ground below the joists would cause
sags in the log where water would stagnate, infest with
insects, and generally leave a woody taste.
Another 50 years passed before New York City constructed
a truly viable public waterworks system in the early 1800’s,
but its original function was for fire fighting. In this
plan, well water was pumped to an above-ground reservoir and
distributed via water mains of cast iron, to a system of
fire hydrants. Over the following years, there was
increasing demand to allow private users to tap into this
system. With access to this system in 1834, architect Isaiah
Rogers amazed New York City with his design of the Astor
House hotel. It was the first major hotel in New York City
to have indoor plumbing. The Astor House was unprecedented.
Six stories high, it had bathrooms to serve 300 guest rooms.
The Astor House was the first major building built in New
York City which had been designed from its inception with
extensive indoor plumbing.
Only one year later, the public waterworks system broke
down in the chaos of the Great New York Fire of 1835, which
destroyed 530 buildings in the heart of the city. The water
supply system simply could not cope with the demand. It was
undersized and badly designed. In response to the needs of
its firefighters, and to provide potable water for the
already teeming population, the city vowed to develop a more
reliable system. This time, no expense would be spared. New
York City could not survive without a vast, reliable source
of water. A huge new system would be conceived and completed
in just 7 years.
Completed in 1842, the Croton Aqueduct System transported
water from a huge new reservoir in Westchester County, 40
miles north of the city, to distribution reservoirs on 42nd
Street, and in Central Park. They fed into a network of
underground mains primarily designed for fighting fires, but
also designed to make it possible to supply buildings with
running water. This new source of supply started a boom in
the installation of indoor plumbing, with plumbers starting
businesses in large numbers.
1844 ADVERTISEMENT FOR J. & F.W. RIDGEWAY
PLUMBERS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERS
Over the next decade the
plumbers of the city developed thriving businesses, setting
themselves up as Master Plumbers and hiring many employees.
To control prices, and to try to standardize wages, they set
up a “Master Plumbers Society”. The normal work week
consisted of six days, Monday through Saturday. The normal
workday was 10 hours. By 1854 the pay rate for a journeyman
plumber was about $10 per week. It is in this period that
the journeymen plumbers in New York City formally organize
themselves into a “Protective Society” which is in fact a
union. The new union was eventually named “The Journeymen
Plumbers Society”. They met in the back room of a pub off
Union Square called Murphy’s Union Shades. It was on the
corner of Fourth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. This was the
site of many meetings of the journeymen plumbers, with
journeymen from Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Jersey City
sometimes attending. On April 18, 1854 they formally adopted
a Constitution and By-Laws, and the union that would
eventually become today’s Plumbers Local 1 was born. The
meeting was reported in the New York Times:
In the period before the Civil
War, the plumbing industry in New York City became polarized
between the Master Plumbers Society or “Boss Plumbers” as
they were often referred to, and the Journeymen Plumbers
Society. Similar developments were taking place in the City
of Brooklyn, City of Williamsburgh, the town of Morrisania
and in other areas which would eventually all become part of
New York City.
In 1857, the city of Brooklyn,
which then covered 20 square miles, commissioned Engineer
Julius W. Adams was to design a system of sewers.
Unfortunately, there were no textbooks available regarding
the sizing of sewers for the needs of a city with indoor
plumbing. Adams developed designs that made modern waste
systems possible. He kept meticulous records and he
published the results. Textbooks on design of sewers became
available for engineers to use in towns and cities all
across the country. When the system opened, the City of
Brooklyn adopted a set of water rules which required
plumbers to be “licensed” by the Water Board in order to tap
into water or sewer lines; however, no license was yet
needed to do work inside the building.
After the Civil War ended
in1865, there was a large influx of immigrants, and several
epidemics. Through the work of Louis Pasteur and others, the
new “Germ Theory” came to light. It became clear that the
waves of cholera, typhus and typhoid fever which regularly
swept through New York City could be linked to unsanitary
water supply and waste removal conditions.
A New York City official in 1866
wrote of these conditions in a 300 page document, entitled
Inspection of Tenement Living:
"The streets are unclean; manure heaps containing
thousands of tons occupy piers and vacant lots; sewers are
obstructed; houses are crowded, and badly ventilated and
lighted; privies are unconnected with the sewers, and
overflowing; stables and yards are filled with stagnant
water and many dark and damp cellars are inhabited.”
New York City Tenement Inspector (seated on left)
taking notes - accompanied by a policeman.
Following a significant Cholera
outbreak in 1866-1867, the old City Board of Health was
replaced by the New York Metropolitan Board of Health in
1868. With increased legal authority, it was the first such
Board of Health in the United States. Two years later, its
Metropolitan Health Law was considered the most complete
health legislation in the world. The nature of drinking
water was studied, as was drainage, sewage, water supply,
waste disposal and location and characteristics of water
closets. The plumber saw his status upgraded to that of
“Sanitarian”, when the Metropolitan Board of Health began to
license all Master Plumbers.
The Plumbing business in the New
York City area saw labor unrest in this period after the
Civil War. It was centered upon the movement to establish an
eight hour day and the increasing cost of living. The Master
Plumbers Society had set wages at $3.00 per day. The
Journeymen Plumbers Society demanded an increase of 50 cents
per day. There were no formal collective bargaining
contracts in those days, and newspapers were the weapon of
choice to influence public opinion. Some of the Master
Plumbers held the line at $3.00 per day, while others gave
in to the demand for $3.50. In the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of
March 22, 1866 there is recorded the following:
Eventually, $3.50 per day became the accepted wage. A
standard work week at that time was six days, Monday through
Saturday, with Sunday off. Journeymen usually worked a ten
hour day. Apprentices usually worked twelve hours. They had
to come in early to start the coke fires, and stay
afterwards to clean up.
By the 1870’s there were
technological changes in the industry. Prefabricated traps
and other parts were becoming available. Threaded pipe was
being used in more applications, and many shops did gas pipe
work as well as plumbing. This brought together some of the
journeymen, who saw strength in greater numbers. The
Plumbers and the Gas-Fitters found common ground and allied
themselves in Brooklyn as the “Journeyman Plumbers and
Gas-Fitters Association”; while in New York City the
plumbers and gas-fitters remained in separate organizations.
By 1872 the issue of the eight hour day had remained
unresolved for many years and the question finally exploded
into conflict both in New York City and in Brooklyn.
Patience had run out among the journeymen. There would be no
more waiting for the eight hour day. In the Brooklyn Daily
Eagle of April 17, 1872 there is recorded the following:
The demand for an eight hour day was contested by the Master
Plumbers, but eventually was successful. The payment of
wages continued at $3.50 per day, and in going from ten to
eight hours, there had not been a reduction. As a result,
the Master Plumbers were unwilling to discuss wage increases
for many years.
As time passed, some Master
Plumbers began paying some of their men extra, but no
uniform increase was forthcoming. In 1882 there was a
difficult strike in New York City for an all inclusive wage
increase. It disrupted New York City and had impact in
Brooklyn as well. In the New York Times of April 25, 1882
there is recorded the following:
The strike was a disaster, and in the end the Journeymen
lost. They returned to work at the old wage, and the New
York City Journeyman Plumbers Society was badly damaged by
the strike. The general public was extremely upset and
blamed both sides for the inconveniences the residents of
the city had suffered during the strike.
During the 1882 New York City plumbers strike, PUCK
(a news magazine) published the this political cartoon
capturing the feelings of the day .
Following the unsuccessful
strike of 1882, the New York City Journeymen Plumbers
Society decided to join up with the Knights of Labor. The
Knights were a secret society which had its roots in the
labor movement of Philadelphia. They had formed initially as
a single craft union (garment cutters), but had adopted a
philosophy of uniting all labor in a broad union. By
accepting members from other trades, known as “sojourners”,
they began to expand. By 1882 they were becoming a rapidly
growing national movement. Secrecy was initially a big part
of their rituals, and they were arranged in groups called
“Assemblies”. The New York City Journeymen Plumbers Society
became Local Assembly 1992 of the Knights of Labor.
Affiliation with the Knights contributed greatly to the
recovery of the local, and a pay raise was negotiated
without another strike. The grouping of so many trades under
one umbrella made business owners and some public officials
nervous, and encouraged negotiation rather than allowing a
strike to start. The Brooklyn Plumbers and Gas-Fitters
Association subsequently joined the Knights with the
assistance of the New York Local Assembly 1992 plumbers.
A political cartoon of the time ridiculed the
Knights.
(Marcher #3 is the Plumber)
The 1880’s became a period of
great prosperity in the building trades, and by 1884 there
were in the New York City area five local assemblies of the
Knights composed solely of pipe trades craftsmen. The
Steamfitters in New York City organized themselves as the
“Enterprise Association” in that same year of 1884 and
shortly joined the Knights as Local Assembly 3189.
Under the Knights, the
journeymen plumbers in New York City and Brooklyn originally
flourished, adding new members and enjoying the prestige of
being part of a large national movement, but within a few
years there was trouble. The plumbers Local Assemblies were
under the authority of District Assembly 49 which comprised
many crafts and mixed assemblies of Knights locals in New
York City. The plumbers felt that District Assembly 49 was
not operating in the best interests of the pipe trades.
Under the Knights constitution it was possible to organize
district or even national assemblies of one particular
craft. The formation of a pipe trades craft assembly in New
York would save the local unions of plumbers, gas fitters,
and steam fitters considerable amounts of money which,
instead of being sent to District Assembly 49, could be used
for the furthering of interests of journeymen in the pipe
trades. Perhaps more importantly, it would also free the
pipe trades locals from the interference of the leaders of
District Assembly 49.
They organized a conference. The
result was the formation of the “National Association of
Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Gasfitters” led by Patrick
Coyle, a prominent member of the New York City plumbers
union. This was originally intended to be a national
organization within the Knights of Labor, perhaps to be
recognized as its own national assembly, but it was never
sanctioned by the Knights. “The National” continued to
operate unofficially, organizing locals in several cities.
By 1885 there was confusion among the New York City
plumbers.
Many had joined the National
Association, but still held membership under the Knights.
The situation came to a head when the Knights, perhaps
fearful of losing the pipe trades altogether, granted an
earlier request of the New York City and Brooklyn plumbers
local assemblies to start their own District Assembly. The
new District Assembly 85 was a Knights of Labor body
composed of several unions of plumbers, gas fitters, and
steam fitters which would no longer have to answer to
District Assembly 49.
When the National Association of
Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Gasfitters held its annual
convention later in 1885, they concluded that the formation
of District Assembly 85 in New York proved that the Knights
were never going to recognize a national assembly of pipe
trades, and voted to break with the Knights, establishing an
independent national trade union. With the inclusion of some
Canadian locals, they also changed their name to
“International Association of Journeyman Plumbers,
Steamfitters, and Gasfitters”.
A breakdown of unity resulted,
particularly in New York City. The I.A.J.P.S.G. grew in
strength, adding seventeen locals around the country
throughout 1885 and 1886, but the New York City and Brooklyn
locals formally withdrew from the I.A.J.P.S.G. in 1886. The
reason for this was that the membership of the New York City
and Brooklyn assemblies, all of them in District Assembly
85, refused to be affiliated with an organization outside
the Knights of Labor. They also had been favorably
discussing with the leader of the Knights, Grand Master
Workman Terrance Powderly, the upgrading of District
Assembly 85 to a “National Trade Assembly” within the
Knights.
In June 1886 New York City and
Brooklyn received a charter from the Knights to set up a
national trade assembly. A preliminary convention was held
in Brooklyn, and the new organization was formally named the
“United Progressive Plumbers, Steam and Gas Fitters,
National Trade Assembly No. 85” of the Knights of Labor. Now
there were two national unions in the pipe trades.
1886 was turning out to be the
most critical year in the history of the plumbers union in
New York. New York City local assembly 1992 of the Knights
of Labor started another strike. This was an unusual strike
because it did not center on wages or hours. The only issue
was apprenticeship rules; there was no disagreement on other
matters. The employers wanted complete control over
apprenticeship. The union demanded a ratio be established at
one apprentice to four journeymen; on union voice in
acceptance of individual apprentices; and on union
examinations for apprentices to advance to journeymen. The
1886 strike dragged on for several months and ended in
complete union defeat. Local assembly 1992, which was the
core local of National Trade Assembly No. 85, was almost
entirely destroyed. In order to survive, some members
organized a new local under the I.A.J.P.S.G. This led to an
all out labor war, as former brother journeyman plumbers,
now in different locals under different national
organizations, battled for the same jobs in New York.
National Trade Assembly No. 85
struggled on with the remnants of the New York plumbers
local, the Brooklyn plumbers local, and the Enterprise
Association steam fitters in Local Assembly 3189 hanging
together through 1887. In 1888 the New York City steam
fitters decided to quit National Trade Assembly No. 85. They
left to help found the “National Association of Steam and
Hot Water Fitters”. This additional blow to the Knights
organization of pipe trades in New York was severe.
The Brooklyn Local was sticking
together at home, but both of the national plumbers unions
were falling apart. The I.A.J.P.S.G. had gotten into
financial trouble and was struggling. As for the Knights of
Labor, the whole organization was in disarray. This was in
part because of Terrance Powderly’s refusal to allow “Trade
Unions” to form within the Knights, and also due to
devastating strikes by Knights in coal mining and railroads.
There were still feelings that
somehow a strong international union of pipe trades could be
formed. The leaders of National Trade Assembly No. 85 began
to correspond on the issue. They contacted locals of the now
bankrupt I.A.J.P.S.G., as well as bigger independent locals
like the Boston plumbers. A positive correspondence between
National Trade Assembly No. 85 secretary-treasurer Richard
A. O’Brien of Washington D.C., and Boston independent
plumbers’ leader Patrick Quinlan, encouraged the Brooklyn
based leadership of National Trade Assembly No. 85 to call
for a meeting.
The meeting was held in
Brooklyn, July 29 through 31, 1889, and delegates were
invited from all the locals of the I.A.J.P.S.G., National
Trade Assembly No. 85, and all the independent unions known
to exist. The meeting was attended by about a hundred
delegates. The discussions were favorable to the formation
of a new single international union to represent the pipe
trades. They elected an executive committee of three
representatives; one representative from National Trade
Assembly No. 85, one from the I.A.J.P.S.G., and one to
represent the independent locals. This group of three then
scheduled the founding convention of what would become the
“United Association of Journeyman Plumbers, Gas Fitters,
Steam Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpers of the United
States and Canada” or the “U.A.”.
They set the date of that
meeting for October 7 through October 11, 1889 in Washington
D.C., and in accordance with the instructions given during
the Brooklyn meeting, each local was entitled to send one
delegate for one hundred members or less, and one additional
delegate for each majority fraction of one hundred members.
In the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of December 19, 1889 there is
recorded the following:
At the 1889 “Founding Convention” of the United Association,
the Brooklyn delegates were very influential, since most of
the founding locals were members of the Knights of Labor
National Trade Assembly No. 85, which Brooklyn had been
running since the devastating New York City strike of 1886.
Brooklyn also had more members, and more delegates than any
other local represented. The Brooklyn local became Local No.
1, and New York City was designated as Local No. 2. The date
now recognized as the founding of the United Association was
the final day of this convention, Friday, October 11, 1889.
The delegates from the
Brooklyn and New York City plumbers’ locals at the 1889
“Founding Convention” of the United Association were as
follows:
D. Cassin – Brooklyn James Rankin – New York T. Kinsella –
New York
P.H. Gleeson – Brooklyn H. Fox – Brooklyn D. Hodgens –
Brooklyn
M.J. Driscoll – Brooklyn M.F. Murray – New York (Gas
Fitters)
John Todd – Brooklyn M.F. Dolan – Brooklyn (Eastern
District) - Williamsburgh
For the most part, the Steam fitters did not participate,
because they were still trying to set up their own national
union known as the “International Association of Steam and
Hot Water Fitters” or the “I.A.”. Not one local made up
solely of steam fitters actually joined the United
Association at the “Founding Convention” of 1889. The United
Association held its next convention in Pittsburgh in 1890.
The delegates from the
New York plumbers’ locals at the 1890 “First Annual” United
Association Convention were as follows:
James J. Doody – LU1 Augustus Esser – LU1 John Hand – LU1
Michael Driscoll – LU1 James F. Hickey – LU1 John J.
O’Connell – LU1
William J. Carey – LU2 Edward Farrell – LU2 William W.
O’Keefe – LU2
James Laverty – LU6 William Till – LU6 Note: LU6 - Brooklyn
|
