On December 7, 1896, representatives from 11 local unions met in Chicago, Illinois, to establish the National Union of Steam Engineers. By that time, steam had been effectively harnessed to power the shovel used in railroad and other heavy construction. Steam also powered various types of hoists to lift the materials that went into the earliest high-rise buildings, and powered the plants which created electricity for the most modern buildings of the era. In 1897, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) granted the renamed International Union of Steam Engineers (IUSE) the Union’s first International charter.

As more and more steam engineers formed local unions across the country, the International Union issued charters to two basic groups: hoisting and portable locals which brought together steam engineers who worked largely in the construction industry; and stationary locals representing the engineers who maintained fixed boilers that served as power plants in buildings. In 1912, the IUSE became the International Union of Steam and Operating Engineers. As the technology expanded beyond steam to include gasoline- and diesel-powered machines, the Union renamed itself the International Union of Operating Engineers in 1928.
By that time, operating engineers in the Chicago area were represented by at least three major local unions chartered by the International. They included Local 569, a hoisting and portable local which had jurisdiction over building construction work limited to the City of Chicago; Local 42, a steam shovel and dredgeman’s local which had regional jurisdiction outside the Chicago city limits; and Local 464, a steamroller engineer’s local which had jurisdiction in the City of Chicago for street work done “from curb to curb.”

By the late 1920s, the International Union sought to limit jurisdictional disputes between Locals and increase their bargaining strength by forcing them to merge. In 1929, as part of this broader “amalgamation” movement across the country, the International lifted the charters of Locals 569 and 42 and granted their jurisdiction to Local 150. The International appointed the previous President of Local 569, William F. Maloney, as President-Business Manager of Local 150, while the previous President of Local 42, John Tracy, was appointed Business Agent. A year later, Local 464 voted to consolidate its jurisdiction with that of Local 150.

William F. Maloney served as President-Business Manager of Local 150 from 1929 until he moved to Washington as an International officer in 1940. The International then appointed John Lynch to serve as Local 150 President-Business Manager, a position he held until 1952. In 1953, the International appointed William Law to serve as President-Business Manager. He was replaced by James P. Crane in 1954, who held the position until 1962.

In 1959, the federal law regulating unions known as Landrum-Griffin was passed in and local unions across the country were required to conduct elections for their officers every three years. In Local 150’s first contested election in 1962, the members voted William F. Martin into office as President-Business Manager. Martin served in that position until he retired in 1984. Thomas Rodd succeeded Martin as President-Business Manager and served for two years.

In 1986, the Membership of Local 150 elected William E. “Bill” Dugan President-Business Manager. In the 20 years Dugan has served as President-Business Manager, Local 150 has doubled its membership. By careful training of apprentices and aggressive organizing of non-union workers, Local 150 has increased its bargaining strength. That strength has enabled the Union to negotiate some of the best contracts in the construction industry. Over that period of time, wages in the Union’s biggest contracts have doubled; the assets of the Pension Fund have increased from $400 million to over $2.7 billion; and benefits and working conditions have remained the best in the industry.