Union Dues Stamps – USA & Canada

The United Brick and Clay Workers of America was formed in 1915 by the merger of the United Brick and Clay Workers and the International Alliance of Brick, Tile, and Terra Cotta Workers. The bulk of the union’s Canadian membership of about 200 was located in Abbottsford, BC working at the Clayburn-Harbison plant. In 1959 these members voted to join the Teamsters union. In September 1981, the UBCWA merged with the Aluminum Workers International Union to form the Aluminum, Brick and Clay Workers International Union.

A single dues stamp has been seen for this union.

Here's a series of stamps from from 1949 to 1955 from Local 123 (Cincinnati, OH, two books) from the

The International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers was formed in February 1896 in Pittsburgh, PA. It was affiliated with the AFL since its inception. The first local in Canada was chartered in September 1902 as Toronto Local 4. In 1914 the IAB&SIW extended its jurisdiction by including Ornamental Iron Workers and Pile Drivers and changed its name to the International Association of Bridge, Structural, and Ornamental Iron Workers and Pile Drivers (IABS&OIW&PD). This move caused a dispute with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners over the locals of pile drivers concerned and resulted in the suspension of the bridge-workers' union from the American Federation of Labor. In 1915 the union relinquished the locals of pile drivers to the United Brotherhood and dropped "pile drivers" from the new title, retaining however, the claim to the ornamental iron workers. Thus the name was changed to the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers (IABS&OIW). It operates today as the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers, with over 120,000 members.

Over its history, the organisation issued a large variety of different stamps, including initiation and renewal fees, monthly dues, convention fund, Death Benefit and Pension Fund  assessments. Some stamps seen have the logo with union initials or written in full (starting in 1951), though the quality of the printing is often too poor to make out the letters. The Monthly Dues stamps are overprinted in black with the local union number. All stamps are perforated and gummed, and usually cancelled with a handstamped date. Stamps appear to have been replaced by large paper dues receipts starting in April 1972.

Here's Monthly Dues stamp from the IAB&SIW

And an Old Age Pension Fund stamp from the IABS&OIW&PD:

Here's a complete series of five booklets spanning 1937-1972 from IABS&OIW local 25 (Detroit, MI):

Note: the green "Renewal Stamp" is printed directly on the page.

Note: stamps were replaced by large paper receipts starting in April 1972

For those interested in Union Dues stamps, there is a new listing of such stamps available on the BNAPS website:

100 Years of Union Dues Stamps in Canada and Newfoundland, 1880 to 1980

For those interested, the British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS), has posted an interesting item on Union Dues Stamps and the entire work can be found here,

"100 Years of Union Dues Stamps in Canada and Newfoundland, 1880 to 1980"

Rubec and Ron Lafrenière
Describes, lists, and illustrates the stamps issued by unions in Canada and Newfoundland for the payment of dues by union members. Includes international unions based in the U.S. with locals in Canada and Newfoundland. 152 pages.

Happy collecting!

Here's a book from 1897-1899 from local 201 (Rhode Island):