UA Local 100 Mission and History

Mission

The mission of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) Local 100 is to help our members build a better life for themselves and their families. For over 130 years, this has been the cornerstone of our organization.

Standards of Excellence

The UA Standard for Excellence policy not only outlines the obligations of UA members on the job, but it also spells out the obligations of our signatory contractors.

Standards of Safety

We believe every worker has the right to go home at the end of their shift in the same physical and mental shape in which they started their shift. We are committed to protecting the safety of our members.

UA Local 100 History

The United Association was officially founded on Oct. 11, 1889 and today represents approximately 355,000 plumbers, pipefitters, pipeliners, sprinkler fitters, welders and HVACR service technicians who work in the union construction industry throughout North America..

Just over three years after the founding of the UA, Local 100 was issued its charter on Dec. 1, 1892.

Prior to the turn of the 19th century, the formation of UA Local 100 was no easy task since many people viewed unions as illegal and fought against their formation. Even as late as the early 1900s, union members were arrested for attempting to hold meetings, which were private and required a password for entry — a tradition that is still in use today.

The primary reason why the founding members wanted to form UA Local 100 was to create a standard wage scale, improve working conditions and generally improve the workers’ living standards. Our founders wanted to influence the items that affected their everyday lives.

From its beginning, UA Local 100 leaders realized that to have a greater influence, they needed to be a part of something larger. These men knew it would be to their benefit to form an organization composed of the various unions. They, along with leaders of other unions, began to work together.

In 1914, Local 100 joined the Southwest Pipe Trades Association and soon thereafter, also became affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In 1955, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged with the AFL to create what is now known as the AFL-CIO.

History has shown the goals of the worker can be accomplished when workers band together in an organized effort. To this day, the formation of the AFL-CIO and building trades councils and associations has played a major role in advancing the cause of organized labor.

Over the past century, Local 100 survived many threats to our existence, including wars and economic depressions. Today, UA Local 100 continues to uphold our mission and we welcome the challenges and demands the future will place on us.