Building Solidarity: A History of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local Union 1260 in Iowa City, Iowa

In 2004, John wrote Building Solidarity, a centennial history of Carpenter’s Local 1260 in Iowa City, Iowa. Based on oral histories John conducted with members and on extensive historical research in the union’s records, the book has been used for decades as an education tool with new members.

From a review by historian Ralph Scharnau in the Annals of Iowa (2005)

“McKerley, a graduate student in history at the University of Iowa, has written a brief historical overview of the local union based on research in selected secondary works and a variety of primary materials. Aiming at an audience of union members and professional historians, McKerley chronicles Local 126O's century of development from its founding in 1902 to 2002. This longitudinal study of the union unfolds through membership patterns, jurisdictional disputes, political activities, and struggles with management. While writing a sweeping survey of the union, McKerley provides impressively succinct descriptions of the origins of unionism among carpenters and the American labor movement. His study also raises certain local contextual questions. What was the profile of the working class in Iowa City? To what extent did Local 1260 confront ethnic, racial, and gender issues? Studies of local unions, such as McKerley's, help us to understand how wage earners shaped the material culture and public image of Iowa communities. We need more of these well-written labor stories.”

(Image courtesy of Carpenters Local 1260)