The San Francisco-based International Association of Machinists (IAM) Lodge #68 is one of the oldest of the Bay Area Metal working unions. Lodge #68 was organized on February 10th 1885 and is the oldest local affiliated with the IAM, founded prior to the establishment of the IAM in 1888. Lodge #68 was typical of the old style Californian craftsman union, which took pride in its autonomy and isolation from the national movements. IAM lodge #68 gained an early reputation for militancy and self autonomy and was frequently in conflict with the Grand Lodge. Serious conflict with the International during the 1930’s and particularly during World War II eventually led to the suspension of Lodge # 68, the dismissal of its executive and the seizure of its funds.

Lodge #68's long history of trade disputes began with a prolonged and unsuccessful attempt to win the nine hour day during the summer and fall of 1901. In 1907, Lodge #68 participated in a successful drive to secure an eight hour work day. Lodge #68 was also involved in the 1916 Auto Mechanics Strike, in which 200 mechanics went on strike for a wage increase of $4.50 against seven large auto agencies. Besides the usual tactics of picket lines and boycotts, some of the machinists indulged in less above board practices, including industrial sabotage and the sending of spies posing as replacement worker (aka scabs). To harass the car dealers, lists were obtained from spies within the struck agencies of cars still under warranty. The saboteurs would locate these vehicles and damage them with paint remover, knowing that the repair costs would be borne by the car dealer.

The militant reputation of IAM lodge #68 continued into the 1930's with appointment of Harry Hook and Ed Dillon as officials. The latter was suspected by the grand lodge of communist connections. Hook and Dillon clashed on several occasions with Arthur Wharton, the president of the IAM, on issues concerning local autonomy and in particular the failure to obtain strike sanctions. The animosity between lodge #68 and the international was so strong that the grand lodge took the unusual step of refusing to contribute to Dillon’s salary as business agent and the full costs were paid by the lodge. Yet despite numerous transgressions Wharton failed to come down harshly on lodge #68, probably due to its powerful influence on the West Coast.

Vice Admiral Harold Bowen, a top ranking Navy official and specialist in plant seizures, coordinated the seizure of the Federal Mogul plant and four other machinist shops as ordered by Roosevelt. He met continued defiance and reacted with draconian measures. Lack of evidence meant Bowen was unable to jail Hook and Dillon under the Smith-Connally Act (also known as the War Labor Disputes Act of 1943) as he wished, but the Navy did attack the union’s rights in a number of ways such as suspending collective bargaining agreements, union shop dues, grievance procedure and job referral through the hiring hall. The Navy and Federal agencies also mounted attacks on individual machinists. Bowen served fifty-eight machinists with their draft papers, canceled the gas rations of others and ordered the firing of eight machinists. Such measures did end the over time ban but did not have the desired effect of breaking the union. A few months later, in the fall of 1944, another crack-down on militant machinists took place when Martin Joos and Arthur Burke, members of Lodge #68, were dismissed by the Navy and black-listed after protesting to management against members of another craft doing machinists' work at Bodinson Manufacturing company. The Navy had seized more than one hundred San Francisco machinist shops after prolonged disputes between the machinists, the employers association and the National War Labor Board.

In the spring of 1946, following another bitter clash between the Grand Lodge and Lodge #68 over the terms of a post war agreement with the California Metal Trades Association, the executive council suspended Lodge #68, blocked all its bank accounts, and subsequently tried Hook and Dillon. For their transgressions against IAM rules Hook and Dillon were fined $1000 and expelled. IAM Lodge #68 lost its charter and was taken into a trusteeship. (It was not reinstated until 1949). Hook and Dillon never regained admission to Lodge #68 and without its controversial executive the post war history of the Lodge # 68 appears to have been tame. The notoriety of Lodge #68 during the 1930's and 1940's was largely due to the personality of its business agents.

During World War II, Lodge #68 also clashed with the grand lodge over the admission of non-white unionists as full members. As a response to discrimination against African-Americans in the defense industry, President Roosevelt appointed the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). By 1941 complaints had been filed against Lodge #68 of San Francisco for discrimination. Lodge #68 had grudgingly allowed some African-Americans to work in ship yard machine shops but despite charging them a monthly fee for the privilege continued to bar them from membership. The machinists of Lodge #68 had a more enlightened stance on women members who were first admitted to the union during the World War II. Women machinists at the Joshua Hendy Iron Works were paid 75 cents an hour as ‘production workers’ although they were doing work identical to that performed by men at the ‘specialist’ rate of $1.11. A six month campaign by Lodge #68 won women machinists at Hendy’s equal pay for equal work.

Over the years Lodge #68 has operated from a number of locations, initially in San Francisco and in more recent years South San Francisco. Lodge #68 has been affiliated with a number of labor organizations: District Lodge 115, (comprised of 8 lodges in Oakland), the California Labor Federation, the California Conference of Machinists, the Pacific Coast Metal trades and the Bay City Metal Trades Council. During the 1930's Lodge #68 was a close ally of militant Oakland machinist Lodge # 284, which after it was suspended by the IAM president Arthur Wharton regrouped as local #1304 SWOC-CIO. Lodge #68 defied IAM rules and continued to collaborate with local #1304 during the 1940's, an allegiance that contributed to the final conflict between the Grand Lodge and Lodge #68. The jurisdiction of Lodge #68 encompasses machinists employed in ship repair, breweries, maintenance on newspaper presses, while its geographic catchment area ranges from San Francisco to San Mateo. Major employers, past and present, include Dalmo, Krough Pump, Joshua Hendy Iron Works, The Call and San Francisco News.