Brothers and Sisters,
Across the country, support for organized labor is the highest it has been in years — and it is not hard to see why. Working people know what unions bring to the table — better wages, stronger benefits, safer jobsites, retirement security, training opportunities, and a real voice on the job. But support alone does not move the dirt. For Local 150, the real question is how we turn that support into action.
Public approval gives the labor movement an opening, but a good poll number does not build a strong union. Real progress comes from officers, organizers, business agents, members, apprentices, retirees, and families who understand the value of standing shoulder to shoulder and doing what it takes to protect our work.
You may have seen the recent report, The State of the Unions 2026, and the numbers are worth paying attention to. More than 411,000 workers joined unions in the United States last year—the biggest increase since 2008 and roughly the size of the entire IUOE across the United States and Canada. People are not just saying they support unions — more workers are looking for a seat at the table, a fair shot, a strong contract, and someone in their corner.
Illinois added 24,000 union members last year, bringing statewide union membership to 771,000—the highest level since 2019. That rebound follows losses tied to the antiunion Supreme Court decision in Janus and the COVID-19 pandemic. And it reinforces what Local 150 members understood when we fought to pass the Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution: protecting collective bargaining gives more workers the opportunity to organize, build stronger unions, and grow membership.
This shows what can happen when collective bargaining rights are protected, but Local 150’s work does not stop at the state line. Across all three states in our jurisdiction, our goal is the same: strong representation, fair contracts, and more opportunities to earn a good living in the trade.
Those numbers show the growth, but members are the ones who make it real. Through education, organizing, contract feedback, and political action, members turn momentum into lasting power. That participation starts with understanding what is at stake and gaining the knowledge to organize, strengthen contracts, protect our jobs and rights, and move the union forward.
That is why our mandatory Know Your Union, COMET, and Labor Studies classes matter. Younger members need to know what earlier generations fought to build and how to defend it. Union members were beaten, jailed, and killed for demanding fair pay, safe jobs, and dignity at work. Our rights were not given to us; they were won through sacrifice, solidarity, and the courage to stand up when the consequences were real. More than 550 people attended our largest Know Your Union class at the District 1 Hall in September because members want to understand how our contracts, organizing, political action, training, and benefits work together. Local 150 has been handed down from one generation to the next. We must make sure the next generation is ready to protect it and carry it forward.
That same commitment to education extends to our officers. At the end of September, Local 150 officers attended the IUOE North Central States Conference in Detroit, where they heard what other locals are doing, shared ideas, and learned from the International about the most pressing issues facing our craft. Bringing that knowledge and those strategies home helps our leadership make better-informed decisions and respond to the challenges members face every day.
That challenge is especially clear in the rising cost of everyday life. Families are feeling the pinch from groceries, utilities, housing, fuel, and health care, even as employers look for ways to cut costs and weaken hard-won standards. In that environment, a strong contract can make the difference between keeping up and falling behind.
Local 150 members across Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois feel the value of a strong contract every time they look at a paycheck or pay a household bill. They face the same pressure at the grocery store, the gas pump, and at home. What differs is not how hard people work, but whether state laws strengthen workers’ ability to bargain for wages that keep pace with rising costs or make that fight harder.
That bargaining power is producing results across the industries where our members work. In the National Pipe Line Agreement, our focus remains on protecting fair per diem for members who travel long distances, spend time away from their families, and take on added costs to do the work. Even changes that sound administrative can affect members’ pay, so we continue pushing for practical rules that respect those sacrifices.
Over the last six months, the Great Lakes Floating Agreement and Diving Addendum have delivered solid wages and benefits, along with a new training fund to develop more captains and support divers. The industry recognizes that this demanding, highly skilled work requires more qualified people—and that Local 150 knows how to train them.
Rail mechanics earned important gains as well. In an industry long known for holding tightly to every dollar, members secured the improvements they deserved, including stronger medical benefits, the lifting of pension caps, and other meaningful protections. These wins show what determined bargaining can accomplish, even in industries where progress has historically been difficult.
Beyond wages and benefits, a union contract replaces at-will employment with just-cause protection. An employer must have a good reason and follow a fair process before disciplining or firing a member. If workplace policies or procedures are applied unjustly, the union gives members a way to challenge the decision through a grievance procedure with an experienced union officer, business agent, or lawyer in their corner.
Those protections are secured through strong contracts, but the power behind those contracts is also shaped by laws and policies affecting our work, wages, and bargaining rights. That is why staying informed and voting are part of standing up for our union.
Elections decide who writes and enforces the laws and policies that shape our work. That is why Local 150 has always taken a bipartisan approach: the question is not which party a candidate belongs to, but whether that candidate supports unions and working people.
We have seen firsthand how elections affect working people. In Illinois, members helped pass the Workers’ Rights Amendment, giving workers a stronger voice and protecting their right to stand together. No one has to turn every kitchen-table conversation into politics, but every member should know who stands with working people, get informed, and vote.
This fall, Local 150 has endorsed candidates in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa for the upcoming General Election. You can find those endorsements at local150.org. Nine Local 150 members and family members are also running for office. Check your ballot, learn where the candidates stand on the work we do, and support our brothers and sisters who are running. Local races matter, too—especially positions like road commissioner, which can directly affect members’ work.
The stakes become real when projects move from proposal to construction. Roads, bridges, data centers, pipelines, wind and solar farms, refineries, nuclear facilities, slag operations, and other projects can be built with union labor and strong standards—or without them. Across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, the choices voters make can put Local 150 members to work or leave us on the outside looking in.
When more members vote, pay attention, and get involved, our voice grows stronger. That strength helps Local 150 defend our work, influence which projects move forward under strong labor standards, and shape what comes next for our families, our industry, and our communities.
Building lasting union power is not only about protecting the work we have today; it is also about preparing members to succeed in the work ahead. That means investing in the skills, knowledge, and experience that keep Local 150 members ready for new opportunities and changes across the industry.
Growing our membership is only part of building power; preparing members to succeed is just as important. Our apprenticeship and training programs help members earn more, work safely, adapt to new equipment and technology, and build lasting careers. They also give Local 150 an advantage when contractors need highly trained people who can do the job right, raising the standard for skill, safety, and professionalism across the industry.
Organizing, bargaining, political action, and training are not separate efforts; each one strengthens the others. No one has to do everything, but every member can take a step: talk to a business agent, attend a meeting or class, help an apprentice, support an organizing campaign, learn where candidates stand on union work, or vote. When thousands of members do their part, support becomes muscle—and muscle becomes power.
Across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, our strength comes from members who show up, speak up, and stand together. Every conversation, class, vote, organizing effort, and contract fight helps turn union support into Local 150 power. Now it is up to each of us to protect what generations before us built and keep our union strong for those who come next.
United We Stand. Divided We Fall.