Bricklayers Debate Global Union Death Benefit
International union local chapters weigh a new, graduated life insurance plan to ensure coverage for smaller organizations.
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A proposition for mortuary benefits for the members of the Bricklayers and Masons' International union was recently sent out from international headquarters in Indianapolis to the various local unions of the organization. The plan, drafted by a committee appointed by the international executive board, argues that it is necessary for progress that death benefits be paid to all members. Currently, only unions of large membership have the resources for such benefits, leaving hundreds of smaller unions without protection. The proposed plan suggests a graduated benefit of $100 to $200 based on length of membership, funded by a per capita tax of 12.5 cents per month. The proposal is set for a vote at the next biennial convention in January 1910.
“It is absolutely necessary for the progress of the B. and M. I. U. that mortuary benefits should be paid to those who are now members of our organization and those who are to be.”
This reflects the early 20th-century labor movement's shift toward professionalizing social safety nets, a precursor to the modern benefits packages negotiated by unions today. It highlights how local chapters sought solidarity through centralized funds to avoid the precarity of small-scale membership.
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