Throughout its 100-year history, Indiana Constructors, Inc. (ICI) has gone through several name changes, but its mission has remained the same. The association represents and advocates for Hoosier highway, heavy, and utility contractors in a variety of program areas. Chief among these is labor relations.
In 1924, one of the first programs established by the newly fledged Indiana Association of Highway and Municipal Contractors (now ICI) was a skilled labor bureau. The bureau placed 30 skilled workers, ranging from form setters to steam shovel operators, with member contractors.
While trade unions in America can trace their roots back to the late 1700s, union membership greatly expanded during the Great Depression. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 protected workers’ right to collective bargaining and established the National Labor Relations Board.
In 1937, Indiana Highway Contractors, Inc. (IHC), negotiated and signed its first industry-wide labor agreements. The first contracts IHC negotiated and signed were with the International Union of Operating Engineers; the International Hod Carriers, Building, and Common Laborers’ Union of America; and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
Across the United States, union membership increased from less than 3 million workers in 1933 to 14 million workers (or 30 percent of the workforce) in 1945.
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After the Great Depression — where there were too many workers and not enough jobs — Hoosier contractors soon found themselves in a new, tumultuous era. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Americans began preparing for potential wartime conditions.
On May 27, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared an unlimited national emergency. Roosevelt speculated how America would change under a German regime: “Wages and hours would be fixed by Hitler,” he said. “Trade unions would become historical relics, and collective bargaining a joke.”
On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Air Service attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing America into World War II. Hoosier contractors lost skilled craftspeople to the draft, sometimes partway through a project.
After World War II, contractors faced new hurdles in acquiring skilled labor in an era of increased government regulations. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity provisions of Executive Order 11246 in 1965, the Public Works Employment Act of 1976, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 impacted labor agreement provisions and wages. Nationwide, construction wages grew more rapidly than other professions. From 1962 to 1971, hourly wages increased about 54 percent. From 1971 to 1974, wages grew another 18 percent.
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Today, ICI still negotiates contracts with labor unions, including The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Laborers’ International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Members large and small continue to be engaged in the negotiations process and in the administration of the various fringe benefit funds associated with each contract.
Modern labor agreements cover scope of work, wages, health and welfare, safety, apprenticeships, drug testing, and more. The terms of each collectively bargained agreement may have changed over time, but these agreements continue to protect both workers and employers while providing Hoosiers with the highest quality, safest roads.
Recently the association has worked with Laborers’ International Union of North America to fund a statewide billboard campaign to promote safety around work zones.
In addition to providing the workers that fuel Indiana’s robust road building and maintenance program, local unions have also provided training opportunities in tandem with the industry workforce development program, Work IN Roads and its high school Civil Construction Pathway. Students and teachers have visited union training centers for hands-on learning on several occasions, sometimes resulting in on-the-spot apprenticeship interest.
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Over the years, as the industry, government regulations, and labor markets have evolved and fluctuated, one thing remains constant — the collaborative work between ICI’s labor relations team and Indiana’s skilled trade unions and their leadership. As ICI begins to wind down its centennial year, the association looks forward to working with these partners for the next 100 years.
