Boilermakers Local 73
Est, 1973
Overview
Local 73 is primarily a construction lodge working in the oil and gas, pulp & paper and Power Generation Industries. Included in our membership are members of two shops and Quality Control Technicians.
Originally part of Local 271 in Quebec, Lodge 73 was chartered in 1973 with 152 members. Membership has grown to 932 members and with upcoming work in all sectors, Membership will continue to increase in the future. Our Union offices are located in Saint John, New Brunswick and Truro, Nova Scotia. With training centres in both buildings, and a training center in Bathurst, New Brunswick. |
History of Local 73
Lodge 73 is the youngest Construction Lodge in Canada, but the Boilermaker trade goes back to the start of the steam age in Atlantic Canada, in May 1816 when the steamer General Smyth took its trial run at Saint John, NB. By 1822, stationary steam power was beginning to be used to operate a sawmill. Steam power came to Nova Scotia in 1827 when a Boiler was assembled in McKay's Blacksmith shop at Pictou, NS.
New Brunswick is considered to be the "birth place of labour unions in British North America" by many historians, when in 1812, the war sparked a building boom making a huge demand for labour with the result that wages for tradesman were increased. Workmen saw a need to band together to protect their new standards. The booming economy caused an influx of tradesman threatening an overabundance of skilled workers. This was the beginning of union organizing in North America. Unfortunately, documentation on the union activities in those times is very limited. By 1840, there were labour parades taking place with the Blacksmiths and other trades showing off their pride. In 1872, the Boilermakers made the press by going on strike for a daily rate of $2.00 for riveters & fitter-ups, $1.66 for chippers & caulkers and $1.20 for apprentices.
As industry started to expand in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the demand for Boilermakers increased. By the early 1900's, the International started to grant charters to various railway & commercial shops and shipyards: Lodges 285 Halifax NS, 378 Moncton NB, 379 McAdam Junction NB, 580 and 361 Halifax NS, 687 New Glasgow NS, 688 Amherst, 717 Saint John and 497 Kentville. Over time, all these charters lapsed, besides Lodge 580 which is going strong today.
In 1937, Lodge 271 was granted a charter in Montreal as the first construction lodge in Canada with jurisdiction over Quebec and Atlantic Canada. During the Second World War there was construction of Boilers in Nova Scotia. After the war, construction started to pick up slowly with storage tank erection and then moving into some Boiler work at Grand Lake and Charlottetown, PEI as the demand for power increased. The general practice in those days was the Erector would bring in a skeleton crew of skilled Boilermakers and then hire other people as required locally at the prevailing rate for labourers unless they had some skills too, depending on the negotiating skill of the local hire.
Over the decades, power plants and pulp & paper mills were constructed in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. By 1970, the work picture was at a point where Lodge 271 opened a sub-office in Halifax. As the membership increased, the desire by the local members to have control over their own affairs grew, and the International realized that for a member to travel from Atlantic Canada to Montreal for a union meeting was not practical. So in 1973, lodge 73 was granted a charter with jurisdiction over New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
New Brunswick is considered to be the "birth place of labour unions in British North America" by many historians, when in 1812, the war sparked a building boom making a huge demand for labour with the result that wages for tradesman were increased. Workmen saw a need to band together to protect their new standards. The booming economy caused an influx of tradesman threatening an overabundance of skilled workers. This was the beginning of union organizing in North America. Unfortunately, documentation on the union activities in those times is very limited. By 1840, there were labour parades taking place with the Blacksmiths and other trades showing off their pride. In 1872, the Boilermakers made the press by going on strike for a daily rate of $2.00 for riveters & fitter-ups, $1.66 for chippers & caulkers and $1.20 for apprentices.
As industry started to expand in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the demand for Boilermakers increased. By the early 1900's, the International started to grant charters to various railway & commercial shops and shipyards: Lodges 285 Halifax NS, 378 Moncton NB, 379 McAdam Junction NB, 580 and 361 Halifax NS, 687 New Glasgow NS, 688 Amherst, 717 Saint John and 497 Kentville. Over time, all these charters lapsed, besides Lodge 580 which is going strong today.
In 1937, Lodge 271 was granted a charter in Montreal as the first construction lodge in Canada with jurisdiction over Quebec and Atlantic Canada. During the Second World War there was construction of Boilers in Nova Scotia. After the war, construction started to pick up slowly with storage tank erection and then moving into some Boiler work at Grand Lake and Charlottetown, PEI as the demand for power increased. The general practice in those days was the Erector would bring in a skeleton crew of skilled Boilermakers and then hire other people as required locally at the prevailing rate for labourers unless they had some skills too, depending on the negotiating skill of the local hire.
Over the decades, power plants and pulp & paper mills were constructed in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. By 1970, the work picture was at a point where Lodge 271 opened a sub-office in Halifax. As the membership increased, the desire by the local members to have control over their own affairs grew, and the International realized that for a member to travel from Atlantic Canada to Montreal for a union meeting was not practical. So in 1973, lodge 73 was granted a charter with jurisdiction over New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.