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LOCAL 28 - A BRIEF HISTORY

The city of New York has always been at the center United States economic activity. In the colonial era, labor unions were organized along the lines of traditional European craft guilds. The transition from guild to labor union began soon after the American Revolution. Pre Civil War business owners feared unions and used the government to combat growing labor unrest. In New York City several large trade unions organized before the Civil War. By the time of the war's outbreak in South Carolina, these New York locals were large enough to be called national unions with branches from St. Louis to Boston. The war and New York City political realities produced ripe conditions for the creation of several other trade union movements.

SHEET METAL UNIONS IN NEW YORK CITY

The Tinsmiths of New York was the first sheet metal workers' union of record in New York City. That organization was formed in 1863 at the height of the Civil war and held its meeting at Military Hall on the Bowery. The union disbanded shortly after the war. The next union was started on June 13, 1881 as the Alexander Association of Tinsmiths. At its' second meeting the organization voted to join the Knights of Labor and change the name to the Atlas Labor Club, Local Assembly No. 1654. These meeting were held secretly to because union membership was grounds for dismissal. The Knights organized several other local assemblies soon after. The German Tinsmiths Local Assembly No. 1882 were organized late in 1881. The Tin & Slat Roofers & Cornice Makers Local Assembly 2412 and Local 1873 Tinsmiths were formed in the year 1882 along with the Hebrew Tinsmith Local Assembly 1963 and two Brooklyn Local Nos. 1811 and 1881. By 1886, New York & Brooklyn had 15 Local Assemblies forming District Assembly No. 52 of the Knights of Labor.


After the 1886 Haymarket slaughter and conservative crackdown against her 8 hour day movement the Knights of lost most of its' influence and many of their local assemblies disbanded or became independent unions. District 52 emerged as the Manhattan Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers Protective & Benevolent Association. In 1902 they joined five other independent sheet metal unions to form the Sheet Metal Workers National Alliance of America. A year later the Alliance merged with the Amalgamated Sheet Metal and Cornish Workers International (an organization formed in 1888 that evolved into today's IA). The president of this new national organization was Richard Patterson former head of the Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers PBA of New York City. Sheet Metal Local 10 was charted in NYC and Roofers Local 106 was charted in Brooklyn with local 53 representing the brewery coppersmiths.

Local 10 went on strike in 1904 over the imposition of the "Arbitration Plan". The contractors association appealed to the IA and Local 10 was decertified. Local 11 replaced 10 as the major bargaining unit in New York City (Local 106 Brooklyn and 300 of Flushing merged into the new local). However, Local 11 became involved in dispute with the carpenters resulting in a series of jurisdictional strikes. In 1911, the IA chartered Local 5 to represent sheet metal workers in New York. The old local 11 refused to disband and the national convention held in Atlanta saw both locals locked in a credentials dispute. The result of this confused situation caused the defeat of the President of the IA. And the creation of Local 28 to represent sheet metal workers in the metropolitan area from the Hackensack River to and north and east to the line of "Greater New York".

 
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sheet metal unions in New York City did not develop in a vacuum. In 1863, Congress passed the Draft Bill sparking race riots and exacerbating tensions between rich poor. The Civil War forced general shortages of all goods and services. The high commodity prices did not translate into higher wages for workers. Aggregate wage levels were artificially depressed by trust operators and their confused and corrupt government officials. Tradesmen formed unions all over the country to force profiteers to raise wages and lower work hours. While politicians like New York City's Mayor Fernando Wood and his brother generated mass hysteria pitting immigrant and ethnic groups against one another with their secessionist rhetoric and corrupt local governments. The labor movement reflected a defensive reaction against social, political as well as economic oppression and strong national unions began to spring-up across the country.

After the war, the national unions formed coalitions to protect hard won economic gains and adjust to new realities of over three million freed blacks and an equal amount of returning veterans. Participants in the ambitiously named International Industrial Assembly of North America sought a stronger organization. Lead by William H. Sylvis, trade union officers gathered in Baltimore during August 1866 to launch a National Labor Union.

As the labor movement remained a local affair, the NLU focused on mutual support. However, it found common ground in the desire for a government-imposed eight-hour workday and an interest in the organization of cooperatives, which confronted the difficulties of credit. Both began to involve components of the part in local and state politics. Nevertheless, the effort to launch a National Labor Reform Party proved disastrous partly due to the death of Sylvis.

The remnants of the NLU had debated whether to merge their organizations into the northeastern-based Sovereigns of Industry, but opted instead for the western and southern Industrial Brotherhood in 1874.

In Pennsylvania, a group of tailors decided to form a new labor organization with a more structured central governing body than the NLU. Led by Uriah S. Stephens they called themselves the Loyal Order of the Knights of Labor. In 1878 it became a body of national scope and importance and grew rapidly after 1881. The Knights organized themselves in assemblies. Some were called Local Assemblies distinguished by ethnic, religious, cultural or craft differences. The sheet metal workers in New York had a German Assembly (LA 1884)

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