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 Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 was a union born of necessity. It was a necessity then and is a necessity now as anti-labor forces continue their assault on the working class. One might ask, why a history of the union? Because in times of great economic turmoil and hardship, it is more important than ever to clarify the roots and core values of any organization and the roots of labor go deep.
In the 1930s, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) began to grant more and more union charters, making it harder to get work outside your local jurisdiction without paying doby (traveler dues) or being forced to “sit on the bench” waiting for work because you weren’t a member of that local. As a result, workers were reluctant to teach anyone, except their most trusted co-worker, how to operate their equipment.
Change was coming, but as news of a possible merger between the different locals floated in the wind, not everyone was ready or eager to join forces. On February 6, 1939, after the 21st International Convention held in Miami, Florida, news of the amalgamation was announced to the membership of Local 59, the largest local in the group. Considerable discussion followed a report from the delegates who attended the convention with one member making a motion to hold a smoker or caucus of sorts. His motion was called out of order by the president, his appeal lost, and a subsequent vote by the membership approved the delegates’ action in Miami. Local 3 was born.
From the original 1,000 members brought together with a common purpose, the local now represents more than 40,000 workers across four states that include northern California, northern Nevada, Utah and the Hawaiian Islands.
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