Very little is known about the early history of the Wisconsin State Conference of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen. The earliest records held by the Historical Society suggest that the conference was formed about 1911 and that the members united for their mutual protection and the benefit of the masonry craft. About the same time the members began holding annual conventions in order to discuss the current state of their craft. In recent years these discussions have increasingly focused upon the changes brought about by changing construction methods; by the threat to organized masons posed by the state association of non-union and anti-union contractors, the Associated Building Contractors; and by the necessity for keeping the union wage the prevailing wage for masons.
As a member of the Wisconsin Masonry Joint Apprenticeship Committee, the conference advises the Department of Industry, Labor, and Human Relations and the State Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education on apprenticeship matters and has worked to create and sustain high building standards and regulations.
