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Labor Union

Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO

Parent Organization: American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Metal Trades Department, AFL–CIO logo (link)
Website:

metaltrades.org/
Location:

WASHINGTON, DC
Tax ID:

53-0025758
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(5)

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $1,734,684
Expenses: $1,518,884
Assets: $901,495
President:

James V. Hart

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The Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO is a labor union federation and arm of the AFL-CIO union federation that consists of 17 U.S.-based labor unions associated with metal-related industries such as ironworking, steel working, plumbing, and pipefitting. The department was founded in 1908 and operates a network of affiliated regional metal trades councils that negotiate union contracts and coordinate strikes and other union efforts across unions. The department is chartered by the AFL-CIO and acts as a quasi-independent organization with its own bylaws, executive committee, and governing convention that operate under the AFL-CIO bylaws. 1

Background

The Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO was founded in 1908 by the executive committee of the American Federation of Labor (prior to its merger with the Congress of Industrial Organizations). The Metal Trades Department was one of four departments created by the AFL in 1908 to advance its pro-worker agenda from within the Republican Party of the early 1900s. the first affiliated unions of the department included the Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers’ International Alliance, the Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters of the U.S. and Canada. 2

Governance

As of 2021, the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO is comprised of 17 labor union members and operates a network of local councils that negotiate union contracts. the department states that there are currently over 100,000 employees who work under contracts negotiated by metal trades councils. 3

While the Metal Trades Department is referred to as a department of the AFL-CIO, it acts as a quasi-independent labor federation under the AFL-CIO umbrella with its own bylaws, and governance. The MTD convention is the supreme governing body of the organization. The convention meets every five years and consists of delegates from affiliated labor unions and the metal trades councils. The convention elects a president and eleven vice presidents for the department and the department employs a full-time staff directed by the MTD president. 4

Policy Stances and Activity

The Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO supports many left-leaning pro-union policies including opposition to right-to-work laws. The department also opposes shipbuilding at non-union shipyards and was critical of the buildup of the naval fleet under President Donald Trump due to a plan to perform shipbuilding projects at non-union shipyards. 5

Much of the focus of the department’s work is on providing support to local metal trades councils and their members by providing information on how to run the councils and grow local unions. 6

People

The president of the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO is James V. “Jimmy” Hart, who has been president of the organization since 2016. Hart began his career in unions as a member of Plumbers Local 1 in New York City in the 1970s and worked with plumbers’ unions in New York and Florida before becoming president of the Metal Trades Department. 7

Other members of the MTD executive committee include Boilermakers International president Newton Jones, president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Terry O’Sullivan, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) president Lonnie Stephenson. 8

References

  1. “About Us.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://metaltrades.org/about-us/
  2. “About Us.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://metaltrades.org/about-us/
  3.  “About Us.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://metaltrades.org/about-us/
  4.  [1] “About Us.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://metaltrades.org/about-us/
  5. “Washington Update Vol. 1, No. 1.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021.  https://metaltrades.org/29110
  6. “Washington Update Vol. 1, No. 1.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021.  https://metaltrades.org/29110
  7. “MTD Executive Council.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021.  https://metaltrades.org/about-us/29067-2/
  8. “MTD Executive Council.” Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Accessed October 3, 2021.  https://metaltrades.org/about-us/29067-2/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: July - June
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 1978

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2017 Jul Form 990 $1,734,684 $1,518,884 $901,495 $0 N $0 $1,571,724 $0 $0
    2016 Jul Form 990 $1,535,235 $1,437,762 $685,695 $0 N $0 $1,339,496 $8,856 $0 PDF
    2015 Jul Form 990 $1,535,211 $1,562,283 $597,232 $9,010 N $0 $1,321,143 $9,204 $0 PDF
    2014 Jul Form 990 $1,707,442 $1,730,692 $616,776 $1,482 N $0 $1,451,509 $7,242 $162,774 PDF
    2013 Jul Form 990 $1,721,470 $1,656,624 $639,647 $1,103 N $0 $1,453,160 $12,173 $160,315 PDF
    2012 Jul Form 990 $1,589,186 $1,649,355 $573,696 $0 N $0 $1,522,502 $12,521 $160,069 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO

    815 16TH ST NW
    WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4101