A History of Local #16

1900 - Officers & Members of L.U. #16, Omaha, Neb.

Omaha experienced its greatest period of growth during the 1880's. Increases in population created demands for improved urban services; "It was no longer enough to have a few jerry-built sewers, or wooden pipes..." Craftsmen arrived to take on the work of building the city; to labor under difficult and dangerous conditions, at low pay. For these workers and those that would follow, union organization was the only protection from unjust and injurious conditions.In 1886, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed. Individual craft unions were joined to that central organization in the same way the states were joined to the federal government. Within a short time, most Omaha craft unions had become members of the AFL. They were also represented in the Omaha Central Labor Union (CLU) which functioned as the coordinating body for local union activities.

Organized plumbers and steam fitters in Omaha became affiliated with the CLU as early as 1887. On January 18, 1890, Omaha's union plumbers and steamfitters gained their UA charter. Local 16's quarterly per capita was $8.00, or 20 cents for each of its 40 members who earned only "$ .30 per hour with long-hour work days.”Omaha hosted the 1902 convention at which more than 100 delegates, representing 20,000 members, approved the proposal of the Nationalization Committee. With this measure, a comprehensive system of sick, death, and strike benefits was established. The UA now stood as a modern and effective national union. New by-laws enabled the UA to discipline local unions for refusing to follow its rules. With the centralization of authority, the needs of all the members could now be addressed. The Omaha Evening World Herald reported on August 21, 1902, that the adoption of the UA's new constitution gave the union the means to raise an annual $300,000 for the welfare benefits of its members.

	Upland Homes "Fab Shop" - 1941 (L-R) Joe Buggy, Ray Dennell, Joe Buggy, Jr., Unknown, Bill Moran.
	10/1941 - Lead shop at Upland Homes. Joe Buggy, Sr.
	8/30/1959 - Plumbers "Fab Shop" at Southside Terrace. Frenchie Bergevin, Bill Bordman, Henry Bridwell.

Union organization in Omaha gained in strength after the turn of the century. In what appeared as a direct response, the city's businessmen formed a secret group, the Omaha Businessmen's Association, for the purpose of "spearheading an open shop movement." Their efforts were directed toward the building trades unions as well as others. Although the Businessmen's Association continued in its efforts to weaken and destroy union organization, most local labor groups persisted.

Even with local challenges, the war years, 1914-1918, were "a very good period overall for union growth." Nationally, the UA had grown to 41,239 members. But, after the end of the war, though a lasting peace was promised, continued economic prosperity appeared problematic. In the twelve intervening years between contracts, a worldwide depression devastated workers and their unions. Construction came to a virtual standstill and unemployment was rampant. In 1934, Local 16's membership had sunk to just 23 members. When hostilities in Europe grew to major proportions, the U.S. turned to wartime manufacturing, and union membership took a great leap forward. After the United States' entrance into the war, a number of Omaha's union plumbers joined the military. At the same time, those who remained on the home front were engaged in the war effort in another way. A number of local journeymen joined other UA members and were commissioned to travel across the nation to add their expertise in the construction of military installations, shipyards, and weapons and aircraft plants.

In addition to the war effort in 1944, Local 16 implemented a program to enhance its apprenticeship training. A laboratory facility located at Omaha Technical High School was the cooperative effort of the union and contractors. Here the training provided hands-on experience with the new technological advances in plumbing and heating. The time-honored practice of apprentices trained by journeymen craftsmen had been an important function of early unionization. But the degree of skill learned had depended on the expertise of each journeyman. In 1921, in an effort to standardize the quality of workmanship, the UA required a mandatory 5-year apprenticeship program for all of its local unions. Vocational training soon became an important component of each Local's mission. According to the mandate, limits as to the number of applicants to the program and wage scales for the trainees were to be set locally. In Omaha, apprentices to Local 16 were paid $12.00 a week the first year, with three-dollar raises in each of the next two years. Then in 1936, a National Plumbing Apprenticeship plan was implemented. Locally, the initial apprentice classes were held in area schools and conducted by local Purdue - trained journeymen/instructors. But by 1974, the need for a separate facility became apparent; the program had grown and now required a place of its own. The Local established a building fund to consolidate the training program with the union's offices, and, in 1980, its new combined facility was dedicated. For over one hundred sixteen years UA Local #16 has weathered challenges and obstacles. Neither economic reverses nor anti-union activities could dampen the organization's dedication to the education and welfare of its members. Contributions through involvement in community activities stand as testimony to the Local's commitment to Omaha. Indeed, the entire modern history of the city bares the imprint of its workers' skilled hands.