International Union of Elevator Constructors

International Union of Elevator Constructors
AbbreviationIUEC
FormationJuly 18, 1901; 123 years ago (1901-07-18)
TypeTrade union
HeadquartersColumbia, Maryland, US
Location
    • Canada
    • United States
Membership (2018)
28,620[1]
President
Frank J. Christensen
AffiliationsAFL–CIO (North America's Building Trades Unions)
Websiteiuec.org Edit this at Wikidata
Formerly called
National Union of Elevator Constructors

The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) is a trade union in the United States and Canada that represents members who construct, modernize, repair, and service elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and other conveyances. The IUEC claims a membership of over 25,000.[2]

The IUEC is a bargaining unit for its members who in turn pay quarterly dues to compensate for the representation. There are various locals throughout the United States and Canada made up of members from the same geographic areas. In conjunction with union employers, the union administers the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plans to offer pension benefits and healthcare.[3]

The IUEC forbids modular construction of elevators, preventing the kind of preassembly and prefabrication that have become standard in elevators in the rest of the world, leading to higher elevator costs in the United States.[4][5] The union limits entry of new workers into the field, and has constrained the ability of firms to use new technology to streamline elevator production in the United States.[5]

Data indicates that elevator-related work is the highest paid trade in the United States, with a median wage $47.60 per hour in 2021.[5]

  1. ^ US Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards. File number 000-197. Report submitted September 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "International Union of Elevator Constructors". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  3. ^ Moreno, J. Edward (2024-02-08). "Construction Industry Grapples With Its Top Killer: Drug Overdose". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ^ Smith, Stephen (2024-07-08). "The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  5. ^ a b c "Elevators" (PDF). Center for Building in North America. 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2024.