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Lodge No. 822 of the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers was first chartered on October 08,
1892.
However, the organization was soon abandoned as a result of employer
antagonism and the lack of labor laws to protect the workers. Several
attempts were made to establish the Machinists in Adams County in the
early twentieth century, all falling aside.
Under the auspicious of the then known “Quincy Trades and Labor
Assembly”, the Machinists Union became firmly established in Quincy in
1941. The Machinists Charter was presented on March 05, 1941, by the
International Representatives.
The first contract with an employer came to be in May of 1941 with the
Dayton Down Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of centrifugal pumps.
After this first break-through, the Local was able to organize and
formulate a contract with Hollister-Whitney in 1944. After a lengthy
dispute with the Gardner-Denver Company, resulting with a decision from
the National Labor Relations Board, an election was held in March of
1946 which was followed by an agreement covering all the production and
maintenance employees. At the time, almost one thousand blue collar
workers were there. (In 1968 the Machinists organized the office
custodians at Gardner-Denver.)
During the month of October, 1947, the employees at Knapheide
Manufacturing Company, Monogram Industries and Quincy Stove Company,
voted for representation under the Machinists banner of Lodge No. 822.
In April 1948, Peerless Pump was organized and Central pattern in
November, 1948, followed by ABC Packaging in 1949.
The half century mark, 1950, during the month of January, Brower
Manufacturing Company and Quincy Compressor were organized under the
Charter of the Machinists and the skilled trades group at Modern Iron
Works in May of 1951.
The organized shops in the 1960’s were Quincy Industrial Tool in August
of 1965, and International Harvester in December of 1969.
The 1970’s were active with organization at Missouri-Illinois Tractor in
February of 1970. Coyne Motors in June of 1971, Master Tank in August of
1971, Bard Optical in December, 1971, St. Regis in March of 1973, and
Midwest Automotive in March of 1977.
The year was 1972, September was the month that the employees of the
Davis-Cleaver Company, later known as Swift-Erkrich, sought
representation from the Machinists. A year long bitter campaign was
waged against the Machinists by the Company. The votes were counted at
the Adams County Court House as the Company refused to let the
Machinists’ Representatives on their property. The vote was almost two
to one for the Machinists. Wages were at $1.70 per hour.
On July 01, 1984 collective bargaining for Public Employees became law
in Illinois. Prior to, no law existed giving the employees the right to
organize or to strike. Until the law came to be, the County of Adams
would not recognize anyone in behalf of the employees. However, the City
of Quincy took a different position and allowed its employees to
organize if they so chose, but, not the right to strike. In the early
1970’s the City and the Union drafted an ordinance referred to as “The
impasse Ordnance”, that should the parties not agree on the terms of a
contract, it would be referred to arbitration. The Illinois Labor
Relations Act Law now give the employees the right to strike.
The City of Quincy’s Street-Meter shop, the Water Works Office, the
Disposal Plant, and the Filter Plant all in the Water Department,
organized in July of 1970 followed by solid Waste two months later in
September. The Sewer Department was recognized in June of 1971 followed
by the Street and Bridge Department in September of 1976, and City Hall
in October of 1976. In May of 1977, all contracts which had previously
been negotiated by each single department, became merged into one
agreement for all the workers.
In 1979, the secretary and dispatchers of the Fire Department voted for
Union representation from the Machinists.
The Machinists obtained Under Agreement, the Paint Department of the
City of Quincy in September of 1988. The Airport workers organized in
January of 1989 and the Recycle Department in September, 1989. In June
of 1990, brought under the contract the Sidewalk Crew and Animal Control
Department. The recycle office and the office employees in the Police
Department joined the Machinists in October of 1990.
County workers at the Health Department with the classification of EMT’s
and Paramedics organized under the charter of Machinists in October,
1988.
When the City and County formed a 911 Center, which eliminated the
dispatchers at the Police, Fire and Sheriff’s Departments, the employees
sought representation from the Machinists and became organized in May of
1989.
The union employees in the pattern shop of the Gardner-Denver Foundry
merged into Lodge 822 in 1992. A few years earlier the Patternmakers
Union merged into the IAM. The employees working in the City’s parks and
it Westview Golf course organized in February of 1994 with the workers
in the Quincy Library coming under the Machinists banner in July of
1995. The Adams County Courthouse sought representation from the
Machinists and were recognized in November of 1996 followed by the Brown
County Deputy Sheriffs in May of 1997 and the Seasonal workers in the
Park District in November of 1997.
The drivers at Amcon Distributing Company signed a contract with the
Machinists union January 12, 2003. The workers at Source/Hucks Store
Fixture followed on February 01, 2004.
The first women were sworn in as members on December 02, 1966 since the
end of World War II. They were employees at Quincy Compressor.
In 1967 during the strike at Quincy Compressor, Lodge 822 was sued a
million dollars for picketing at the new Quincy Compressor factory on
Wismann Lane. After months of litigation the Judges would not issue a
restraining order over our picketing and later denied the suit. Local
Lodge 822’s cost was $15.00.
1969 Lodge 822 initiated its first father-son, father-daughter union
meetings.
The Lodge’s first annual family picnic was held September 27, 1970 at
the K of C grounds with a country bank featuring one year before she
became famous Helen Cornelious.
Lodge 822 sponsored their first little league baseball team in 1972 and
were the first organization to donate funds to the restoration of the
War Memorial in Washington Park in November of that year.
On August 08, 1976, Lodge 822 broke ground for their new 10.5 acre home
on North 5th Street, moving into it on January 03, 1977, with the first
all Union dance being held in the hall on January 28, 1978.
It was in 1976 that Lodge 822 established its scholarship fund to enable
sons and daughters of its members to receive some financial help in
their first year of college from the Local.
Lodge 822 participated in the forming of the Illinois State Council of
Machinists in Peoria, Illinois, October 1944. The by-laws were adopted
in December in Springfield, Illinois with the first scheduled meeting
being held in Bloomington, Illinois in February, 1945. Lodge 822 held an
Officer’s position on the Council for fifty consecutive years, not done
by any other local. Ed Hoffman was its first Vice-President moving on to
its Secretary-Treasurer’s position in 1957. Jim Nauert came onto the
Council when Hoffman retired as the Vice President and was the only
Officer to hold every office position retiring as the Council’s
President in 1994.
The original home of Lodge 822 was in the Quincy Labor Temple at 9th &
State Street. The Temple was acquired in 1912.
The Machinists have grown to be the largest Union in Western Illinois.
In its fifty-seven years of service, it has negotiated some two-hundred
contracts of which less than twenty having resulted in a work stoppage.
Local 822 of the Machinists have improved working conditions and
increased wage earnings significantly. Their motto remains:
JUSTICE ON THE JOB
SECURITY FOR OUR FAMILY
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
As of the end of September, 2005 Local 822 has 1480 dues paying members
and 456 retirees. Local 822 has 26 bargaining unit contracts.
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