What's inside your typical union hall?

Factual Questions
1

I was pondering this as I drove home from the gym this afternoon. At the next light, there is a union hall for pipefitters or something like that.

It’s a brick structure, straight out of the 1950s, with long horizontal lines and the name done up in art-deco aluminum letters mounted on the roof.

The long narrow horizontal windows set high up on the wall, bearing that greenish tint of old bulletproof glass, gives the place the appearance of being some sort of a bunker. They always fly the flag :slight_smile: (it was at half mast last week), so I know somebody is there, but I never see them.

So, what really goes on there? Is it a place where a bunch of bored union folk gather to swill beer and swap war stories? Is it stocked with bottled water and canned goods, for a long siege? Do they have a fallout shelter? Do they have classrooms where senior pipefitters teach the junior ones the secrets of the trade? Or is it something as dull as a place where administrative types shuffle paper?

2

I would assume that Union officers adress the rank and file union members and hear their gripes about how unfair their employers are, formulate strategies and tactics (i.e. strikes) against the employers, take union votes, sign contracts, etc.

I suppose during times of no union business scheduled, the hall could be rented out as an auditorium or dance hall. :wink:

3

You could just walk in and say hello.

I doubt that they are going to beat you up for not being a member.

4

good eveing friends,

many years ago i was a union carpenter. some of the apprentice classes were held in the union hall, and there was a monthly union meeting. the hall was rented out for private parties such as wedding receptions. union members could rent the hall for these functions at a discount.

5

I go to events fairly often at a local Union Hall. Here’s what is inside the building.

Toward the front, an office area, with a general reception area, several private offices, a machine room with a copier, fax machines, mail slots, mailing machine, supplies cabinet, etc., and a small lunch room with refrigerator, sink, microwave, and a table & chairs. Pretty similar to the office area of any small business or organization.

Toward the side, a small meeting room with a large table and about 15 chairs around it – rather like your typical board room. Then a large meeting room area, that can accomodate a couple hundred people. A supply of folding chairs & tables that can be arranged in various ways, a podium, flags, and a PA system. In the back of this room is a small kitchen area, with a counter area, and a folding divider to seal off this part of the room.

The front lobby is designed so that you can go left into the office part, straight ahead into the board room, or right into the meeting room area. With separate doors, so the office area can be locked at 5pm, but the meeting space left open for a later meeting.

In the basement, it’s mostly unfinished, and used for storage of various items. Back in a corner I once noticed a bunch of leftover “On Strike” picket signs from the last time the union went on strike. Also down there were a couple of knocked-together offices, since they had run out of space upstairs.

Overall, it seemed to me to be very similar to a church meeting hall, offices to one side, and a large meeting area on the other side.

6

My grandfather, who was a member of the pressman’s local union in Brooklyn (typographical workers, before the days of computerized printing plants) told me that the union was “the” place to be back then when there was a sizable population of skilled blue-collar workers in America. Union meetings took place there, discussing wages and aspects related to their work (such as their relationship with the management.) Besides that, i think it was also a lounge type thing where guys just got together for drinks and chitchat.

7

I’ve been to my dad’s union hall a few times (UAW) and it is almost exactly as t-bonham describes it. Dunno if it had a basement.

Except ours has a stage. So when I had my graduation party there, I had a BAND. :smiley: