A Brief History....

"Perhaps it was just a sort of "natural evolution", or maybe, a little dumb luck...."

"I like to think it was a bit of both, that brought about the beginnings of                                     Northern California Millwrights Local 102". There have always been, what one might loosely call "Millwrights". Whether it was that first poor soul, who volunteered to maintain the first stone wheel. Or the creative one, the one that connected the wheel to a shaft in order to fashion the early machines...   Whichever it was, they most certainly had to have the ingenuity, skills and craftsmanship of todays Millwright, if not much more.

The history of Northern California Millwrights Local 102 really started at the turn of the twentieth century. The industrial revolution was well under way, and the "California gold-rush" had pretty much died out, when a handful of Millwrights, in San Francisco, decided they needed a Union. So this is where the seeds of this Union were first sewn. A charter was granted from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, on April 9th, 1901, creating Millwrights Local 766. This Local was originally started with twelve members. By December of 1905, the Financial Secretary's report showed seventy-seven members in good standing. Even after "the great earthquake" of 1906, the membership increased to one hundred and seventeen.

In the following years Millwrights were working at various locations throughout the Bay Area, but most remained in San Francisco. During these early years the largest employer of Millwrights, by far, was the Spreckles sugar refinery. This enormous plant was located on the waterfront, at the bottom of Portrero Hill (Twenty Third St.). It remained in business through about 1949, when P G & E  purchased the plant and property. The sugar plant was shutdown, and a power plant was erected on the site. It still employs Millwrights to this date. The last of the original Spreckles structures were not demolished until 1990. An interesting historical side note is, that some of the work these early Millwrights performed still stands. If you go to Golden Gate park, at the far west side, you'll find one of the two wind-mills that were erected and maintained by these Millwright pioneers. In fact, the Millwright cottage (as it was called) still stands next to this wind-mill, as a reminder of the villagence necessary, to maintain the machinery of society, then and now. Time passed, and the decade of the twenties coupled with the "great-depression" took a toll on the number of Millwrights in Local 766. In 1932, there were only nineteen dues paying members remaining.

Over the next fifteen or so years the economy grew and the Millwright numbers increased dramatically. By the time the Second World War had come, Millwrights found that the "Southern Penninsula", "East Bay", and the Northern extremes of California had many job opportunities. So the Millwright migration began. Once again, the Millwright had to adapt. With this new geographical jurisdiction, the UBCJA stepped in and charterd Local 202 in Oakland on September 2, 1941. Many years of squabbling and jurisdictional issues between the two locals ensued. When Local 202, in Oakland, had grown to equal the membership of Local 766, in San francisco, the UBCJA once again stepped in and consolidated both these rivals into Millwrights Local 102. This charter was given on May 15, 1945. As work grew in the Central Valley, and food processing increased, Local 1051 was charterd in sacramento, in 1956. Local 1288, in Chico was charterd in 1963 to primarily cover the lumber industry and the missle silos being built in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

There was quite a growth of Unionism throughout the "Sixties" and into the "Seventies", but as work slowed down coming into the"Eighties", it was once again time for a change. Consolidation occured again when Local 1288 was taken into Local 1051. Almost immediately followed by Local 1051 being taken into Local 102. Millwrights Local 102 now coverd all of the Northern California Counties as a single Local Union. In about 1999, the name "Northern California Millwrights Local 102" was adopted to become the correct name for the Union representing all Millwrights throughout our geographical jurisdiction.

Who knows where we will go from here. I think this brief history might indicate that this is one of the more progressive Locals within the UBCJA, able to roll with the punches, and come out on top. From humble beginnings during the "industrial revolution", into the "technological revolution" and beyond; there will always be a need for Millwrights, an ingenious few who install and maintain the machinery of progress..., ever adapting, ever learning, and growing into the future. Northern California Millwrights Local 102.

NOTE: All credit herin, must be given to Mr. Archie Green. These words would not have been made possible without his research, and his book titled, "Millwrights in Northern California  1901-2002".