District 8's history began on April 10, 1939 when Local Lodges 48, 49, 50, 113, 126, 701 and 1129 joined in the District Charter with jurisdiction over "Chicago and vicinity". Below the photos is a time table of the IAM history that began in 1888.
The IAM's humble beginnings are listed below.
1888: 19 machinists meeting in locomotive pit at Atlanta, GA,
vote to form a trade union. Machinists earn 20 to 25 cents an hour for
10-hour day.
1889: 34 locals represented at the first Machinists convention,
held in Georgia State Senate Chamber, elect Tom Talbot as Grand Master
Machinist. A monthly journal is started.
1890: First Canadian local chartered at Stratford, Ont. Union is named
International Association of Machinists. Headquarters set up in
Richmond, VA. Membership at 4,000.
1891: IAM Local 145 asks $3 for a 10-hour day.
1892: First railroad agreement signed with Atcheson, Topeka & Santa Fe.
1895: IAM joins American Federation of Labor (AFL), moves headquarters
to Chicago.
1898: IAM Local 52, Pittsburgh, conducts first successful strike for
9-hour day.
1899: Time-and-a-half for overtime has become prevalent. Headquarters
moved to Washington, D.C.
1903: Specialists admitted to membership. Drive begins for 8-hour day.
1905: Apprentices admitted to membership. There are 769 locals. Railroad
machinists earn 36 to 43 cents an hour for 9-hour day.
1908: Metal Trades Department established within AFL with IAM President
James O'Connell as president.
1911: Women admitted to membership with equal rights.
1912: Railway Employees Department established in AFL with Machinist A.
O. Wharton as President.
1914: Congress passes Clayton Act limiting use of injunctions in labor
disputes and making picketing legal.
1915: IAM wins 8-hour in many shops and factories. IAM affiliates with
International Metalworkers Federation.
1916: Auto mechanics admitted to membership.
1918: IAM membership reaches 331,000.
1920: Headquarters moved to first Machinists Building, at 9th &
Mt.Vernon Pl., N.W., Washington, D.C. British Amalgamated Engineering
Union cedes its North American locals to IAM.
1920: Machinists earn 72 to 90 cents an hour for 44-hour week.
1922: 79,000 railroad machinists pin shopmen's strike against second
post-war wage cut. Membership declines to 148,000.
1924: IAM convention endorses Robert M. LaFollette, Sr., for President.
1926: Congress passes Railway Labor Act requiring carriers to bargain
and forbidding discrimination against union members.
1927: IAM urges ratification of Child Labor Amendments to U.S.
Constitution; 2,500,000 children under 16 are working at substandard
wages.
1928: 250 delegates at 18th IAM convention urge 5-day week to alleviate
unemployment.
1929: Depression layoffs cut IAM membership to 70,000.
1932: Congress passes Norris LaGuardia Act banning use of court
injunctions in labor disputes.Wisconsin adopts first unemployment
insurance act. Nearly 30% of union members are jobless.
1933: IAM backs National Recovery drive and 40-hour week. FOR picks IAM
Vice President Robert Fechner to head new Civilian Conservative Corps.
Membership sinks to 56,000.
1934: IAM establishes Research Department.
1935: Congress adopts National Labor Relations Act establishing right to
organize and requiring employers to bargain in good faith. IAM opens
drive to organize aircraft Industry.
1936: First industrial union agreement signed with Boeing, Seattle. IAM
convention endorses FDR for President. Membership climbs to 130,000.
1937: Social Security and Railroad Retirement Acts now in operation. IAM
negotiates paid vacations in 26% of its agreements.
1939: IAM signs first union agreement in air transport industry with
Eastern.
1940: Machinists rates average 80 cents an hour. IAM pledges full
support to National Defense program. IAM membership climbs to 188,000.
1941: IAM pledges hail support to win the war including no-strike
pledge.
1944: 76,000 IAM members serve in armed forces. Total membership now
776,000.
1945: First agreement with Remington Rand. IAM convention votes to
establish weekly newspaper, education department. Widespread layoffs
follow end of World War II.
1946: 88% of IAM agreements now provide for paid vacations.
1947: Congress enacts anti-union Taft-Hartley Act. Machinists
Non-Partisan Political League founded. IAM Legal Department established.
Machinists average $1.56 an hour.
1948: IAM membership opened to all regardless of race or color.IAM
convention endorses Harry Truman for President.
1949: Railroad machinists win 40 hour week. Membership down to 501,000.
1950: IAM joins International Transport Workers Federation. Machinists
now average $1.82 an hour.
1951: IAM pledges full support of UN action in Korea.
1952: Employees on 85% of airlines now protected by IAM agreements. 92%
of IAM contracts provide for paid holidays.
1953: IAM has contracts fixing wages and working conditions with 13,500
employers. IAM Atomic Energy Conference organized.
1955: AFL and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merge,
Machinist Al Hayes elected Vice President and chairman of Ethical
Practices Committee. 70% of IAM contracts now have health and welfare
provisions. Machinists average $2.33 an hour.
1956: 2,000th active local chartered. New ten story Machinists Building
dedicated at 1300 Connecticut Ave., Washington, DC.
1958: IAM convention establishes a strike fund which was approved by the
membership in a referendum vote. IAM membership now tops 903,000.
1959: Congress enacts anti-union Landrum-Griffin Act.
1960: IAM convention endorses JFK for President after personal visits
from both Kennedy and Richard Nixon. IAM convention establishes college
scholarship program. IAM establishes Labor Management Pension Fund.
1962: IAM Electronics Conference established. JFK issues Executive Order
giving Federal employees a limited right to collective bargaining.
Machinists now average $3.10 an hour.
1964: IAM convention endorses LBJ for President, after a personal
appearance. Delegates vote to change name to International Association
of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Membership at 800,000.
1966: IAM members strike five major airlines and finally break through
unfair 3.2% limit on wage increases. First dental care plan negotiated
with Aerojet General.
1967: Railroad machinists lead shopcrafts against nation's railroads.
Congress forces return to work and arbitration.
1968: IAM membership tops 1,000,000. Machinists average S3.44 an hour.
1969: IAM member, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, the first space mechanic walks on
the moon.
1970: Congress votes first Federal Occupational Safety and Health law.
IAM is one of 19 unions in first successful coordinated bargaining
effort against GE.
1971: IAM wins biggest back pay award in history, more than $54,500,00
for 1,000 members locked out illegally by National Airlines. IAM
establishes Job Safety & Health Department.
1972: IAM membership drops to 902,000 as a result of recession and
layoffs in defense industries. IAM President Floyd Smith quits U.S. Pay
Board to protest unfair economic policies. IAM convention endorses Sen.
George McGovern for President.
1973: IAM and UAW hold first joint Legislative Conference with 1,000
delegates in attendance. Machinists average $4.71 an hour. Membership
rises to 927,000.
1974: Watergate scandal cast its shadow over labor unions along with the
rest of the country. When President Nixon resigned, IAM wired President
Gerald Ford, "You can count on our support and cooperation in your
efforts to bring America back to the principles upon which it was
founded."
1976: IAM convention endorses Jimmy Carter for U.S. President.,
Delegates vote to set up Civil Rights and Organizing departments and
expand community services program.
1977: William W. Winpisinger sworn in as the lAM's 11th president.
1979: Citizen/Labor Energy Coalition launches first Stop Big Oil day to
protest obscene profits by oil conglomerates while American workers'
paychecks continue to shrink.
1980: IAM media project begins. Thousands of IAM members and their
families monitor prime time TV to determine media's portrayal of working
people and unions.
1981: Older Workers and Retired Members Department is established at
Grand Lodge.
1982: Reaganomics grips nation. Individual and corporate bankruptcies
reach epidemic proportions. IAM membership begins drop to 820,211.
1983: IAM introduces 'Rebuilding America' act to Congress as alternative
to Reaganomics and to rebuild nation’s industrial base.
1984: IAM convention in Seattle WA, endorses Walter Mondale for U.S.
President. Delegates vote funding for Placid Harbor Education Center to
improve the level of understanding of workers in an ever changing world.
1987: IAM Executive Council establishes new Organizing Department, the
first ever to be headed by a Vice President. First IAM Communications
Conference convened in Kansas City, MO.
1988: IAM celebrates 100th anniversary in Atlanta, GA, on May 5.
1989: George J. Kourpias sworn in as the IAM's 12th president.
1992: IAM moves to new state-of-the-art headquarters building in Upper
Marlboro, MD, to keep pace with technological changes and serve members'
needs well into 21st Century; IAM convenes 33rd convention at Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
1994: International Woodworkers of America ratify merger agreement. More
than 20,000 members join IAM family. Some 8,000 USAir fleet service
workers say "IAM yes." Machinist newspaper bids fond farewell, reborn as
IAM Journal magazine.
1995: IAM, Auto and Steelworker unions debate plans for unification by
year 2000. Unity plan sparks solidarity. Plan would create largest, most
diverse union in North America, with more than 2,000,000 active members,
1, 400, 000 retirees. Sixty-nine day strike brings major victory in new
contract at Boeing. Members air their views during first round of Town
Hall meetings.
1996: ‘Fighting Machinists' spearhead political battle for worker
rights. Union efforts provide winning edge in Clinton-Gore presidential
victory. Meeting in Chicago, IAM Convention delegates build bridge to
21st century. Delegates establish IAM Women's Department.
1997: On July 1, Robert Thomas Buffenbarger, 46, takes office as 13th
International president in 109-year IAM history, moves quickly to
reshape Union to reflect growing diversity, interests, concerns of IAM
members. Former IAM President Winpisinger dies Dec. 11.
1998: New Blue Ribbon Commission empaneled to provide membership forum
to voice opinions. Placid Harbor facility renamed Winpisinger Education
and Technology Center to honor visionary union leader, who brought the
facility into being.
1999 General Vice President William Scheri retires, Robert Roach, Jr.
takes over the Transportation Department. IAM Shares mutual fund
created; llows members to put money to work in a fund that invests in
IAM-represented companies. The National Federation of Federal Employees
affiliates with the IAM. Unification effort with the Steelworkers and
UAW ends because of major philosophical differences; the three unions
vow to work together, however.
2000 The IAM endorses Al Gore for President. The AFL-CIO launches its
New Alliance campaign, Grand Lodge Convention delegates respond with
mandate that all IAM local and district lodges affiliate with their
state AFL-CIO labor councils.The IAM meets in San Francisco for the 35th
Grand Lodge Convention. The delegates establish Communicator and
Educator positions.
2001 IAM Communications revamped with relaunch of website, online
streaming of video, and repositioning of the IAM Journal as an advocacy
magazine. IAM Executive Council relected. William W. Winpisinger
Education & Technology Center increases capacity by 50%. IAM Dedicates
memorial to fallen members. IAM members perish in September 11 attack.
The IAM volunteers to help in war against terrorism and to help America
rebuild.
2002 The IAM establishes the Automotive Department and sets in place
dozens of organizing blitzes. LL 2710's Gary Blanke wins the IAM's first
photography contest. Members speak out at the 2002 Blue Ribbon
Commission town hall meetings. Everyday Heroes, an IAM documentary,
which tells the story of the workers who risked their lives in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, goes on sale. The proceeds go to treat
rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero. The Transportation
Department ignites a nationwide Day of Action to urge passengers back
onto trains and airplanes. IAM members join with other U.S. union
members for the biggest midterm election turnout ever.
2003 The IAM creates the Department of Employment Services to help
members cope with the worst recession in years; Tony Chapman named its
director. IAM leaders meet in Cincinnati, Ohio. IP Buffenbarger vows "No
more business as usual." Presidential candidates Howard Dean and Richard
Gephardt address the IAM leaders; Gephardt endorsed for president. GVP
George Hooper passes away. Robert Martinez named Southern Territory GVP.
ST Don Wharton Retires, Eastern Territory GVP Warren Mart succeeds
Wharton. Lynn Tucker takes over as the Eastern GVP. James Brown takes
over the Midwest Territory with the retirement of Alex Bay.
2004 The IAM Executive Council marches with thousands of trade unionists
in Miami to protest Free Trade Area of the Americas. President George W,
Bush's "Wall of Shame " tours Iowa during that state's presidential
caucuses to bring job losses onto the national radar screen. CyberLodge,
the innovative, open-source initiative to organize information
technology workers opens for business. Former IAM President William W.
Winpisinger is inducted into the International Labor Hall of Fame. The
36th Grand Lodge Convention convenes in Cincinnati and salutes North
America's Might. Vice presidential candidate Senator John Edwards from
North Carolina appears at a convention rally after a unanimous
endorsement of Senator John Kerry and Senator Edwards by the delegates.