What is a welders union "book"?
Asked by down with the quickness
My husband has a friend who wants him to go to texas to be a pipe fitter or welder's helper (something like that), and my husband has been doing that kind of work here in Oklahoma. They were talking about having to wait for him to "buy someone's union book" first. What does that mean? How does that work?

Best Answer:
A WELDERS UNION BOOK IS A UNION MEMBERSHIP CARD ISSUED BY THE LOCAL UNION THAT YOU JOIN OR ARE A MEMBER OF. IT IS STILL CALLED A BOOK BECAUSE INSTEAD OF THE CARD THAT WE USE NOW DAYS IT USED TO BE AN ACTUAL WALLET SIZED BOOK THAT CONTAINED STAMPS FOR EACH MONTH THAT YOU PAYED YOUR UNION DUES. THE BOOKS SHOWED YOUR CURRENT STATUS AS A WELDER PIPEFITTER OR A PLUMBER. IT ALSO HAD YOUR UNION MEMBERSHIP NUMBER AND DATE OF INITIATION. IN THOSE DAYS YOU EARNED YOUR BOOK BY SERVING A FIVE YEAR APPRENTICESHIP WITH NIGHT SCOOL AND STEP RAISES. NOW DAYS TO "BUY A BOOK" MEAN A QUALIFIED CRAFTSMAN SUBMITES AN APLICATION TO THE LOCAL UNION WHERE HE CHOOSES TO JOIN, ALONG WITH DOCUMENTATION OF YEARS WORKED IN THE TRADE A WRITTEN TEST AND AN ANNITIATION FEE AFTER WHICH THE MEMBERSHIP VOTES TO ACCEPT THE NEW MEMBER AS A UNION BROTHER. THEN AFTERWORDS HE WILL RECIEVE A BOOK OR TODAY HIS CARD. DOES THIS HELP ?
I AM A 35 YEAR MEMBER OF THE UNITED ASSOCIATION OF PLUMBERS AND STEAM FITTERS LOCAL 140 PREVIOSLY LOCAL 19 IN UTAH AND I USED TO BE ISSUED BOOKS EACH YEAR OR TWO BUT NOW IT IS A CARD WITH STAMPS ON THE BACK.
Answered by steveshosted