History:

In 1966, during one of Robert F. ‘Red’ Arric’s terms as Business Agent, the Union hall moved. Fleming Construction, a signatory contractor at the time, erected a Butler pre-engineered metal building at 7602 E. 46th street in Tulsa.

The 1970’s brought some good changes for the members of Local No. 584. The Apprenticeship Fund was started with $.04 (four cents) per hour. The first 3 year election was held and the membership voted to join the Ironworkers Mid-South Pension Fund. On July 1st 1970, the pension contribution was started with $.15 (fifteen cents) per hour. Then, in 1971, the newly funded Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) bought land to build a training facility. It was located about one mile to the East of the Union Hall at 8620 E. 46th street. On June 1st, 1974 the members voted to start a Death Benefit Fund.  This fund, for the members who chose to join it, would help relieve the financial problems of their loved ones after the member passed away.

The 1980’s started out with a bang, work was good throughout the most of the country, and Tulsa was no exception.  Local No. 584 started an annuity in 1980 with $.50 (fifty cents) per hour going into the fund. In 1982, there were 1300 Union Ironworkers working in this geographical jurisdiction. The Local had about 980 members. Then Reaganomics and the oil bust both caught up with Tulsa and work stopped, period. Within 3 years the membership had taken a $2.00 per hour cut in their wage & benefit package to try and make the signatory contractors more competitive in the depressed market and allow them to secure work for the Ironworkers. This is viewed by most members in the Local to be a mistake. Part of the cut included the loss of the annuity started just 5 years before.

Things started to turn around in the mid-90’s, work began to pick up and as a result money began to flow back into the Local Union. In 1993, an annuity was again started with $.75 (seventy-five cents) per hour. A Local Union newsletter was started to keep members informed of important dates and information in 1994. An annual picnic and pin ceremony was started in 1995. Also in 1995, the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was the target of a terrorist attack. Ironworkers from Local No. 584 volunteered their time and aided their brother Ironworkers from Local Union No. 48 in the search & rescue effort. Jim Minx, Executive Director of the Oklahoma State Fire Fighters Association said, “We couldn’t have done our jobs if it hadn’t been for these very brave and very skilled Ironworkers.”