A Brief History of NCCRC

The establishment of the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council and its affiliated Local Unions begins in 1849. The reason for the strength of the Brotherhood of Carpenters in Northern California perhaps may be found in part by the fact that the early emigrants were men and women of the frontier. They brooked no interference with things that they considered theirs by right of possession, and among these the most important was a "job".

As far as can be ascertained, the first demand by group of California workers for higher wages was made by the Carpenters and Joiners of San Francisco in the winter 1849. There is no evidence that these brothers were organized as an association of any kind. Only in the spirit of Brotherhood, these men were the forefathers of the Carpenters Union as we know it today.

During July and August of 1853 organizing of many unions took place in San Francisco, among the Carpenters, Shipwrights and Caulkers and the Plasterers. These first organizations were in no way affiliated with any International Unions, as none existed. They were formed to protect one another in time of injury and death and to obtain higher wages.

Because of the decrease in the labor supply due to the gold rush the Carpenters of San Francisco demanded and received $6.00 per day in 1860. By 1864 meetings of the following unions appeared in the local papers of San Francisco Carpenters, Shipwrights, and Lathers. In December of 1865 the Ship Caulkers obtained the eight-hour day. In January of 1866 the Ship Joiners and Ship wrights followed suit. On May 6, 1867 the Lathers began working the eight-hour-day. The labor movement and particularly the Carpenters would fight for the eight-hour day until it became law.

While the Carpenters did not have the eight-hour day they were the leaders in the fight to obtain it. One of the leaders of the campaign was A. W. Winn, he was a Carpenter, a contractor and a real estate dealer. He retained an interest in the welfare men who worked at his former trade, and threw himself into the campaign for the eight-hour day with unselfishness and devotion that has seldom been equaled in the history of the labor movement in California.

In March of 1867, A.W. Winn assembled workers in San Francisco and formed “The Eight-Hour League, No.1”. But after much discussion it was voted to limit the membership to Carpenters only and call the association "The House Carpenters Eight- Hour League, No.1". The House Carpenters Eight-Hour League No.2 was formed a month later among the Carpenters in the fourth district.

The shorter work day was thus introduced in a favorable manner. Feeling that some of their brothers might be replaced by the new time schedule, the Carpenters established the "Committee of Relief' to serve as both a relief committee and as an Employment Bureau.
THIS "COMMITTEE OF RELIEF" WAS THE BEGINNING OF OUR HIRING HALLS AS WE KNOW THEM TODAY.

The proprietors of the planning mills held out for some time against the demands made by their men, but finally were forced to capitulate. In order to guaranty "Eight- Hour Materials", union made products to the workers in the building trades. The Carpenters on August 3. 1867 organized a "House Carpenters Eight-hour Protective Union" and established a cooperative planning mill, which was successfully run for several years. Similar "Carpenters Eight-Hour Leagues" were established and strikes were frequent.

It was also the "Carpenters Eight-Hour League" that was the first to establish the use of the "Walking Delegate" in San Francisco. It was the duty of the Secretary of the Carpenters Eight-Hour League to go about the city and inspect each job in order to make sure that only union men were being employed.

The "Walking Delegate" was the beginning of our Business Agent system of policing work.
The formation of the "House Carpenters Eight-Hour Protective Union" was the official beginning of the Carpenters Union in Northern California and possibly west of the Mississippi. These Carpenters, our forefathers, started what were to become the affiliated unions of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of North America. They introduced through the "Committee of Relief' the first hiring halls and also established a union owned planning mill, a tactic that would be used successfully during the 20's and the American Plan attack on organized labor. They were also the first to introduce the "Walking Delegate", what would latter become the Business Agents of the Bay Counties District Council of Carpenters.

In 1881, thirty-two years after Carpenters and brother Shipwrights began to organize themselves into unions. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of North America was formed as an International Union.

In March of 1882 the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America issued a national charter to establish Carpenters Local 22. Local 22 was the third union to receive a national charter from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. And the first union on the west coast to receive a charter from the International Union.

By May of 1895 the Carpenters Local Unions of Northern California began an active campaign for members. By August they had organized about five/sixth of their craft and stated that they had a membership of about 2,000. They then felt strong enough to demand the following working rules, effective September 15, 1895:
1) A working card to be carried by all members in good standing.
2) The Closed Shop.
3) An eight-hour day, with time and one-half for overtime.

Their demands were granted.
By 1887 a number of unions were organized throughout California, The Carpenters being especially active in unionizing their craft. Carpenters unions were formed in Grass Valley, San Jose, Stockton, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz.

125 years later this negotiation established the Union Contract we all work under today, we are 40,000 members, Carpenters, Pile Drivers, Millwrights, Cabinet Makers, Lumber and Sawmill workers, Shipwrights and Industrial Workers, Untied We Stand, Divided We Beg.