For more than a century, printing unions have worked to improve the lives of craftsmen and craftswomen. From the workplace to the home, the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC/IBT) and its predecessor unions have always promoted the interests of its members in the printing and publishing industry, generally known today as graphic communications.

The GCC/IBT was established on Jan. 1, 2005, with the merger of the Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU) with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Delegates gather in Boston for the second convention of the International Printing Pressmen's Union in September 1890.

The GCIU was the product of a series of mergers between five predecessor craft unions: the Amalgamated Lithographers of America (ALA); the International Photo Engravers Union (IPEU); the International Brotherhood of Bookbinders (IBB); the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union (IPPAU); and the International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Union (ISEU).

Each of the GCC/IBT's predecessor unions had its own rich tradition and history of achievements for its members while sharing some common goals: a shorter workweek, better pay and working conditions, and benefits that are often taken for granted today, such as paid vacations and sick leave and health insurance.

Early union formation

In the 1880s, the United States and Canada were full participants in the industrial revolution. In the years that followed, workers in the printing processes experienced sweeping changes in their place of work.

In the early-to-mid 1800s, a master printer possessed all the skills and knowledge demanded by the printing process. This allowed the craftsman a greater deal of control of the printing process and the workplace. As the printing industry became more capitalized and fewer master printers were in control of their shops, printers turned to the formation of unions to expand their power in the workplace. The first major union of printers was founded in 1852 as the National Typographical Union and was renamed the International Typographical Union (ITU) in 1869.

Within the early ITU were the craftspeople who formed four of the five GCC/IBT predecessor unions – photoengravers, pressmen, stereotypers and electrotypers, and bookbinders. As printing processes became more mechanized and specialized in the last decade of the 19th century, members of the IPPAU, IBB, ISEU, and IPEU, began to separate from the "printers union" – the ITU. The impetus in breaking away from the ITU was to gain recognition for and address the special needs of individual crafts and skills.

This photo of women press feeders appeared in the February 1896 issue of The American Pressmen.

The pressmen were the first to break their ties with the (ITU). The work process for the compositor had stood still, while the pressroom had undergone 50 years of mechanization. When the ITU refused to recognize the special skills involved by adding pressmen to its name, the craftsmen formed the International Printing Pressmen's Union (IPPU) in October 1889. In recognition of the growing numbers and role of assistants, the IPPU changed its name in 1896 to the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union (IPPAU).

During the late 1890s, bookbinding shifted from a hand craft to a machine craft. As a result, the bookbinders ended their association with the ITU and formed the International Brotherhood of Bookbinders (IBB) in 1892.

Following the pressmen and the bookbinders, the stereotypers and electrotypers demanded a separate organization from the ITU. The International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Union (ISEU) was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1901. Since it was a highly specialized trade, the membership remained small, reaching 5,400 in 1920.

The final group to break with the ITU was the photoengravers. Most of those who belonged to the ITU worked in the newspaper industry. Trade shop engravers already had their own unions. In 1904, the International Photoengravers Union was established, thereby ending dual organizations and jurisdictional chaos.

The board of directors of the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union meets at the Cincinnati headquarters in July 1907. At center is George L. Berry, the 24-year-old newly elected president.

The ALA's origins were separate from those of the ITU. The ALA traced its origin to April 18, 1882, when 18 journey lithographers who worked for Heppenheimer and Mauer in Jersey City, N.J., met in a shack on the west bank of the Hudson River to establish the Romar Fishing Club. Although there had been earlier lithographers' local unions–1843 in Philadelphia, 1850 in New York City, 1868 in Cincinnati–the Romar Club attained national status by applying for a charter from the Knights of Labor. The Knights, a forerunner of today's AFL-CIO, welcomed all workers in all occupations to join its crusade for the eight-hour day and other social and economic reforms.

In 1886, representatives of lithographers' locals in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Chicago met to establish the National Association of Lithographers of the United States and Canada. The following year, the union changed its name to the Lithographers' International Protective and Insurance Association of the United States and Canada. A decade later, the name was again changed to the Lithographers' International Protective and Beneficial Association (LIP). In 1915, the LIP merged with two other preparatory workers' groups to create the ALA.

Technological changes

The revolving cylinder press, which helped the industry realize its potential for mass production, was invented in the late 1800s. Other inventions included the Morgenthaler linotype machine; photochemical engraving; halftone cuts; color reproduction; clean feeders; folders and trimmers; mechanized bookbinding and the introduction of stereotyping to the newspaper industry, including standard autoplate.

These technological changes were felt not only in the United States but also in Canada. Daniel O'Donoghue, a printer from Ottawa, was the founder of the Canadian labor movement. He helped establish the Canadian Trades and Labour Congress and the federal Department of Labour. He was also the first labor leader to win a seat in the Province of Ontario legislature.

Changes continued in the industry. In the 1920s, some workers were displaced, while others had new opportunities, such as transferrers and strippers. The new offset press endured the scorn of the established craftsmen. Those who worked on the offset press were very secretive about the process. The National Association of Photo-Lithographers (NAPL) was established to represent and promote the new industry.

Training schools

In response to the technological changes, both the IPPAU and the ALA created training schools. The pressmen's union created the Pressmen's Home complex in Tennessee. It was the site of the international union headquarters, a home for ill and aged members, and a national technical training center. The technical training center provided members with hands-on training and correspondence courses.

The lithographers took a slightly different approach. ALA Chicago Local #4 and their employers established the Chicago Lithographic Institute. Its purpose was to train and improve the skills of the ALA members. It was the first of its kind in the industry and a forerunner of the GCIU training schools in the United States and Canada today.

The early 20th century

At the 1972 merger convention that created the GAIU, are, from left, New York 119 Pres. Joseph H. Hellman, IBB; LPIU Vice Pres. Jack W. Wallace; IBB Secy.- Treas. Wesley A. Taylor; IBB Pres. John C. Connolly; and LPIU Rec. Secy. Donald W. Stone.

In the early 1900s, the lithographers and the bookbinders were in disarray due to failed strikes, while the other segments were stable – if not increasing – in membership. New technology continued to propel the industry, which decreased the amount of control left in workers' hands.

Each union was aware of its responsibilities to society. Matthew Woll, president of the Photo Engravers, was the chief proponent of the Union Labor Life Insurance Company. Woll believed "that the purpose of the Union Labor Life Insurance Company (ULLICO) is to sell insurance to individual workers without profit, to sell insurance to whole organizations and, thus, weaken the hold of employers on their workers through group insurance." ULLICO opened for business on May 1, 1927.

The beginning of mergers

For 75 years the segment unions maintained their autonomy. This philosophy was successful until the 1960s. The industry had grown substantially, corporate mergers increased, and technology continued to advance.

The first segments to merge were the ALA and the IPEU, to form the LPIU. With a membership of 60,000, the merger was completed on Labor Day 1964.

The Bookbinders and the LPIU became the Graphic Arts International Union (GAIU) on Labor Day 1972. The GAIU continued to develop and strengthen technical training schools on the local level in the United States and Canada. An occupational safety and health program was developed during the 1970s with U.S. federal government funding. The entrance of women into traditionally male fields was aided by a project for upgrading women into higher paying positions. For some women, pay increased $8 per hour. By the end of the five-year program, some 500 women had participated.

Signing the merger agreement in June 1983 are IPGCU Pres. Sol Fishko, left, and GAIU Pres. Kenneth J. Brown.

For the IPPAU, the 1960s were a time of decision. The union moved its International headquarters from Tennessee to Washington, D.C. Various programs, such as correspondence courses, were streamlined and updated. New programs, including employer-financed retirement funds, area health and welfare programs, district councils, and closer harmony with other printing unions, were initiated. In 1973, the pressmen and the stereotypers formed the International Printing and Graphic Communications Union (IPGCU).

New technology, such as electronic monitors and controls and high speed presses, affected every segment of the industry, creating new skill demands and requiring the unions to develop new contract language to meet the effects of technology. Demographic changes created new printing industries in small towns and rural areas. Because of this growth, master agreements gave way to individual shop contracts, which increased the complexity of collective bargaining.

As the 1980s began, merger discussions between the IPGCU and the GAIU commenced. The Graphic Communications International Union was chartered on July 1, 1983, and became the dominant union in the printing industry in the United States and Canada.

GCIU Past Pres. James J. Norton, right, greets U.S. President Bill Clinton.

The GCC/IBT has continued and expanded the services offered by its predecessor unions: new and updated collective bargaining information; occupational health and safety training and materials; labor education materials and classes; and local organizing assistance. Technical training schools, correspondence courses, and training funds have been maintained to prepare for and confront new technology.

As we head into the 21st century, the challenges of yesterday are the challenges of today: new digital equipment and communication technology; higher skill demands; increased training and retraining; global competition; and organizing. Remember the lessons of the past, look ahead to the future, and know that the GCC/IBT will continue to meet the challenge to improve the lives and working conditions of its members and their families.