[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 72 (Monday, May 2, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2244-S2245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.A. SPRINKLERFITTERS LOCAL NO. 704

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of U.A. Sprinklerfitters Local No. 704 of metro Detroit. 
Functioning under different names and charters over the past century, 
the Local has supported the employment of its members, while 
simultaneously bargaining for higher wages and better benefits.

[[Page S2245]]

  In May of 1907, Sprinklerfitting tradesmen in the Detroit area came 
together in their first effort to organize. They were rewarded for 
their efforts with a charter by the United Association of Plumbers, 
Gasfitters, and Steamfitters of the U.S. and Canada--U.A.--as Local No. 
358. Initial optimism quickly dimmed, as the Local faced opposition 
from surrounding contactors and companies. Disbanding and reorganizing 
twice, the Local reemerged as Local No. 669 in 1915 and was granted a 
new charter by the U.A. It would operate under this charter for another 
32 years.
  Within its first 7 years of formation, leaders from Local No. 669 had 
successfully argued for 2 consecutive years of wage increases and the 
addition of a local U.A. auxiliary office location to better serve the 
craftsmen of the region. This sense of unity was in no small part 
responsible for helping the local weather the economic devastation of 
America's Great Depression, which stifled progress across the country's 
economy for nearly a decade. Membership in Local No.669 protected the 
wages and working conditions of sprinklerfitters in Detroit throughout 
the economic crisis.
  Passage of the New Deal legislation by President Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt provided work opportunities in the form of public projects, 
supporting the sprinklerfitters of Local No. 669. In 1941, as the 
United States formally announced their entrance into the Second World 
War, factories in Detroit quickly pivoted to join the efforts turning 
the city into the ``biggest war boomtown of them all.'' Among the 
projects undertaken by Local No. 669 in this time was the outfitting of 
the Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant in Ypsilanti. In 1947, Local No. 669 
once again reorganized, taking on the charter of Local No. 704 with 
jurisdiction over sprinklerfitting work in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland 
Counties, with nearby Washtenaw joining a decade later. Local No. 704 
continued to enjoy positive growth throughout the 1950s and 1960s, 
increasing their number of journeymen and apprentices, along with 
increased benefits and wages.
  This progress would begin to falter as the local headed into the 
1970s and companies began moving factories to ``right to work states,'' 
decreasing one of their core contract bases. Despite the auto flight, 
members of Local No. 704 remained well employed and worked on a variety 
of local projects, including the Pontiac Silverdome and Detroit's Joe 
Louis Arena and Renaissance Center. Although they faced low employment 
in the first half of the decade, by the end of the 1980s, Local No. 704 
had helped build, along with many other projects, the Detroit Hamtramck 
Assembly Plant, the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, the Chrysler 
World Head Quarters and Technological Center, the Palace of Auburn 
Hills and would close out the decade with a newly negotiated contract 
with the National Fire and Sprinkler Association, formerly known as the 
U.A.
  Demand for work remained strong throughout the 1990s, and Local No. 
704 entered the new millennium with a robust membership able to meet 
the demands of the growth of local automakers and universities. Between 
2000 and 2007, Local No. 704 assisted in the construction of the 
General Motors Assembly Center, the north terminal of the Detroit 
airport, Detroit's MGM Grand and Greektown Casinos, and the Henry Ford 
Hospital in West Bloomfield. The Great Recession of 2008 stalled much 
employment in the area for a number of years, bringing membership in 
Local No. 704 down by nearly half. However, as work slowly started to 
resume in 2011 and 2012, Local No. 704 was able to rely on its history 
of strong organization skills to successfully secure jobs using the 
Local's targeted fund. In 2012 alone, the Local saw a return of nearly 
$6 for every $1 spent by the fund.
  By 2015, Local No. 704 had emerged into a period of success carrying 
them easily to their 100th year anniversary in 2021. In these 6 years, 
members of the Local had a hand in many major projects in the area, 
including the construction of a new Amazon facility and the renovation 
of the historic David Whitney Building in Detroit. The opening of a new 
state-of-the-art training center and headquarters for the 
sprinklerfitters of Local No. 704 helped close out the decade.
  U.A. Sprinklerfitters Local No. 704 has weathered many obstacles but 
has remained strong and enters their 101st year well positioned for 
continued success. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
their longevity, their skilled membership, and the immensely positive 
impact they have made on the communities of southeast Michigan.

                          ____________________