The history of Local 721 and 721B of the International Union of Operating Engineers is dedicated to the members, past and present, and their families, who have worked tirelessly to bring this Union to where it is today. We proudly acknowledge and thank them for their efforts. The Operating Engineers Union has men and women working together in all walks of life.

You will find members of the Operating Engineers Union employed on construction sites, road building, industries, field engineers, survey teams, surfacing mining, dredging, oil and petro-chemical industries, hospitals, pilots and many other diverse fields, with Collective Bargaining Agreements in these many diverse fields. The Operating Engineers have established an excellent reputation with, and earned respect of employees, employers, governments, and communities.

Our Union beginning was the same as most unions. We were chartered in 1953, as a Hoisting and Portable Local. Our history is a proud one that has seen this organization rise from a handful of members to what it is today. The thirty-two year history of our Union demonstrates what can be accomplished through collective bargaining and hard productive work by dedicated union members. What we have obtained through our organization for our members is enjoyed by others in this province. One would ask if wages and working conditions would apply if there were no unions - history has proven that they would not exist.

We have seen our membership hourly wage rates rise from below the $1.00 mark to what it is today. These increases did not come easy to our members. The Operating Engineers are leaders in our industry. Local 721 and 721B's position does not relate to wages alone, but many other conditions contained in our Collective Agreements. It has taken dedicated and diligent effort by the members and officers to secure the fringe benefits we enjoy today. Some of them are as follows:

1. Our Health Plan Fund started in the early seventies, as a program that covers the medical expenses of our members and their families not covered by MSI. This plan continues to improve, keeping pace with escalating costs in the medical field.
   
2. Our Pension Plan started in 1980 and continues to prosper under the guidance of the trustees as they work together to improve the Pension Plan. Our plan continues to grow and includes those who laid the groundwork for such a plan.
   
3. The Operating Engineers have established a defense fund to assist our members in time of need. Fringe benefits do not stop with the above; - they include such items as vacation pay, sick benefits, paid holidays and many more.
   
4. Our industry has become more sophisticated. The Operating Engineers are involved in apprenticeship and training programs, in some cases with funding through the federal and provincial governments, in order that we may train new people for the industry and upgrade the skill of others within our organization. Many of our members have taken advantage of the training available to them and have improved their potential for employment by expanding their skills.
   
5. Our Local is also available to those in trouble through alcohol and drug-related problems. We also became involved in community affairs throughout the province. The membership of the Operating Engineers Local 721 and 721B play an important role in other organizations in the community where they work and live.
   
6. Scholarships are available to our members' families through our International Union. At this time the scholarship is two thousand dollars a year for up to four years.

What we have tried to do with this brief history of our Union is give you, the members and future members of our organization, a view of where we started and some of the things we have accomplished to date. The job is by no means finished. We face an ongoing struggle to meet the future. Just as the original members had to stand together for what they believed in, so must we stand united to maintain and protect what we have earned, and maintain the standard of living we and our families are entitled to.

Those who remain outside of organizations such as ours must remember it is through our organization that they also maintain a decent standard of living. In other words, a small number of unionized people work and pay to maintain a standard of living for all.