Full name | International Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen and Oilers |
---|---|
Founded | Dec. 18, 1898 |
Date dissolved | July 1, 2008 |
Merger | National Conference of Firemen and Oilers/SEIU Local 32BJ |
Key people | Timothy Healy |
Country | United States |
The International Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen (IBSF) was an American trade union established in 1898 and affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AF of L). The union was established as a mechanism for advancing the collective interests of workers engaged in the operation of steam boilers. Originally limited to stationary firemen, in 1919 the AF of L expanded the organization's jurisdictional mandate to oilers and boiler room helpers, and the name was changed to International Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen and Oilers (IBSFO).
The use of the term "stationary firemen" for boiler operator gradually became archaic and the commonly used name of the union became for years the International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers (IBFO). This change was formally recognized by the group at its convention of 1956 when the organizational name was officially changed.
In 1994 negotiations took place between the IBFO and the large Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which resulted a close affiliation with the boiler operators henceforth known as the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO). The NCFO became a "multi-state affiliate" of SEIU Local 32BJ in 2008 and continues as such today.
On December 18, 1898, five delegates to the 18th Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor (AF of L) got together to discuss issues of common concern to boiler operations workers. The result of this meeting was the formation of a new craft union affiliated to the AF of L, the International Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen (IBSF).
In 1919 the AF of L expanded the IBSF's jurisdictional mandate to oilers and boiler room helpers, and the name of the union was accordingly changed to International Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen and Oilers (IBSFO). A further jurisdictional expansion to include railroad roadhouse and station employees took place in the first years of the 1920s and the union became affiliated with the AF of L's Railway Employees' Department.
Within the AF of L the Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen and Oilers was primarily attached through the federation's Metal Trades Department. The union was also affiliated with the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada.