This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we’ve covered all 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the Operating Engineers (IUOE).
Name of Union: International Union of Operating Engineers
Mission: To serve the needs and develop the skills of a constantly expanding and varied group of construction and maintenance professionals through collective bargaining, legislative action and extensive skills training programs.
Current Leadership of Union: John L. Downey serves as general president of IUOE. He started as a member of Local 542 in eastern Pennsylvania. In 2005, he became a business representative for the local. In 2010, he took on the role of international representative for the Northeast Region. He was promoted to assistant construction director in 2014 and to director of the Construction Department in 2021. Downey was appointed as chief of staff by former General President James Callahan in 2023 and elected general president himself in January 2025.
James M. Sweeney serves as general secretary-treasurer. IUOE also has 14 vice presidents: Daren Konopaski, Michael Gallagher, Greg Lalevee, Terrance E. McGowan, Douglas W. Stockwell, Charlie Singletary, Dan Reding, William Lynn, Patrick J. Kelly, Thomas A. Callahan, Joshua VanDyke, James J. White, Edward J. Curly and David K. Sikorski.
Current Number of Members: 410,000
Members Work as: Members who are operating engineers work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics and surveyors in the construction industry. Stationary engineers work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, and in the service industries.
Industries Represented: Private industry and in various public projects, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools and government complexes.
History: In the late 1800s, working conditions were harsh for construction and stationary workers. Low wages, no benefits and 60- to 90-hour workweeks were the norm. In 1896, 11 individuals met in Chicago and formed the National Union of Steam Engineers of America, the first step in the creation of IUOE.
A year later, the first Canadian members joined and the union became the International Union of Steam Engineers. After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, operating engineers flocked to the city for rebuilding jobs. They also were a key part of digging the Panama Canal.
In 1912, the union changed its name to the International Union of Steam and Operating Engineers. As technology advanced, steam became less a part of the industry, and steam was dropped.
During the era of the two world wars and beyond, IUOE members were a significant part of the defense effort, from the Navy Seabees, who created the bases, airfields and roads, to the federal Highway Trust Fund program, which created thousands of jobs for operating engineers. They also were part of many other important construction projects, including San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Chicago’s Sears Tower (renamed Willis Tower in 2009), Toronto’s CN Tower and SkyDome (renamed Rogers Centre), New York’s Empire State Building and Holland Tunnel, the Statue of Liberty, Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge, the Alaskan pipeline, the Hoover Dam and countless others.
Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: IUOE runs extensive training programs and maintains the International Training & Education Center. It also focuses on recruiting women workers into apprenticeship programs. The International Operating Engineer publication provides information and news for working people in the industry.