Metal Trades Department International Affiliates

HFIAW is affiliated with the AFL–CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress and represents nearly 30,000 craftsmen in a series of construction trades. Today’s union insulator is skilled in the installation of mechanical insulation, fire stopping, asbestos and lead mitigation or abatement, sound attenuation and specialty fabrications required in custom mechanical insulation installations for commercial, industrial, medical, bio-technical, governmental and educational facilities among other customer types. This work is installed by our professional mechanical insulators that have achieved journeyman status in the union through a multi-year classroom and 1,600 hour per year on-the-job training program second to none in North America.

The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers has persevered since 1903, a testament to our founders’ commitment to the dignity, skills and well-being of our membership. For over 100 years our union has endured, through good times and bad, in peacetime and at war, through economic depression and prosperity, in favor and out of favor with governments and politicians. Through it all we not only have survived; we have flourished.

SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 216,000 members. SMART’s members ensure the quality of the air we breathe, promote energy efficiency, produce and provide the vital services that move products to market and passengers to their destinations. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.

The IBEW represents approximately 750,000 active members and retirees who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The IBEW has members in both the United States and Canada and stands out among the American unions in the AFL-CIO because it is among the largest and has members in so many skilled occupations.

As union members, we bargain collectively with our employers over wages, benefits, and rights.

Most of us have very limited bargaining power as one person, but as a group, we are strong. And, with a good negotiated contract, we have legal protections we would not have otherwise.

International Chemical Workers Union–We are a reputable workers union located in Akron, Ohio. With more than 70 years of experience in the industry, our labor union prides itself on helping employees have a voice in the workplace. We employ highly trained professionals to help you in every aspect of your journey. Enjoy better benefits, a safer workplace, and job security with the help of the I.C.W. Union Council.

The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a progressive, diversified trade union that primarily represents operating engineers, who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, and surveyors in the construction industry, and stationary engineers, who work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, and in the service industries. IUOE also represents nurses and other health industry workers, a significant number of public employees engaged in a wide variety of occupations, as well as a number of job classifications in the petrochemical industry.

This representation is the core of IUOE’s mission. From ensuring protections of prevailing wages on public projects, to alleviating healthcare costs through coalition building, to improving our contractors’ competitiveness, IUOE has and will continue to be tirelessly dedicated to the common interests of its members.

Founded in 1896, IUOE today has approximately 400,000 members in 123 local unions throughout the United States and Canada. IUOE is the 10th largest union in the AFL-CIO. Over 100 state-of-the-art training and apprenticeship programs ensure that IUOE members are the safest, most productive, and highly skilled craft workers.

The men and women of LIUNA do the hard, dangerous and sometimes dirty work of building our countries.

LIUNA—the Laborers’ International Union of North America—is the most progressive, aggressive and fastest-growing union of construction workers, and one of the most diverse and effective unions representing public service employees.

LIUNA members are on the forefront of the construction industry – a sector that is a powerhouse of 12 million workers producing 5 percent of our countries’ economic output.

A half-million strong, we are united through collective bargaining agreements which help us earn family-supporting pay, good benefits and the opportunity for advancement and better lives.

Organized 1864
For over 150 years the OPCMIA has represented and trained plasterers and cement masons for the purpose of protecting and promoting the quality of our industry and the livelihood of our members. Plaster and concrete are ageless building materials that will not fall out of favor as long as there is a sufficient amount of workers who are skilled in the arts of installation and finishing. These materials are as unforgiving as they are durable and beautiful. Skilled hands and competent management must work together to achieve the desired result and to promote and protect this vital construction resource. We dedicate ourselves to the promotion of these materials, the recruitment and training of skilled craftsmen to meet the demand of our industry, and hold ourselves responsible to this commitment for the future of our industry and the welfare of all those who earn their living in it.

The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers (GMP) International Union

The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers (GMP) International Union is one of the oldest labor unions in America, with its origins dating back to 1842. Several mergers have since taken place and this growing union is now known as the GMP International Union.

The GMP represents thousands of workers in the glass, molders, plastics, pottery, cast metals, fiberglass, defense, fine china, glass and plastic containers, insulation and sanitary-ware industries as well as workers in government, healthcare and a variety of other industries.

The GMP currently has well over 250 local unions throughout the United States and Canada. Members of these locals enjoy some of the best possible wages, benefits, workplace safety protections and retirement in their industries and their workplaces.

The officers and staff of the GMP come from the industries they service and are highly skilled in all aspects of labor issues.

The GMP Organizing Department constantly conducts organizing probes and campaigns throughout the US and Canada, helping workers in every segment of employment gain a voice in the workplace, with better wages and working conditions.

The GMP and its officers also work closely with the rest of the Labor Movement, forging partnerships that bring about valuable resources and experience to better serve the members of the GMP.