Operating Engineers Local Union No 3
Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 is a four-state (CA, NV, UT, HI) labor union founded in 1939, representing 40,000+ heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, miners, and public employees through collective bargaining, apprenticeship training, and benefits administration.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1939
- HeadquartersLivermore, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 does
Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 (OE3) is a private, nonprofit labor union founded in 1939 and chartered under the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). It represents more than 40,000 members across four U.S. states — Northern California, Northern Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii — and is described as the largest construction trades local in North America. Members include heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, inspectors, miners, public employees, and California state workers (Unit 12), working in construction, mining, dredging, and public-sector roles.
OE3 delivers its services through a network of 17+ district offices and dedicated apprenticeship training centers in each state, administered jointly with signatory contractors through Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATC). Core offerings include collective bargaining representation, journeyman and apprenticeship training (heavy-equipment operation, paving, surveying, crane operation, mechanics), Engineers News magazine (published monthly since 1943), retirement and health/welfare benefits administration, a member-only scholarship foundation, and political advocacy via the VOTE (Voice of the Engineer) and EARN (Engineers Action & Response Network) programs. The union also maintains three affiliated entities: a 501(c)(2) Building Holding Association for property management, a 501(c)(3) Scholarship Foundation for college grants, and a 501(c)(3) Community Service Fund.
The business model is dues-funded: members pay recurring monthly dues in exchange for representation, training access, benefits eligibility, and political voice. OE3 monetizes its relationship with signatory contractors indirectly through negotiated wage scales, benefit contributions, and apprentice placement — formalized via multi-year collective bargaining agreements such as the March 2023 Nevada Gold Mines deal delivering 8.5% wage growth over three years. Revenue, payroll, and dues rates are not publicly disclosed, consistent with nonprofit union reporting norms. Marketing and member engagement occur through district meetings, picnics, a podcast (Breaking Ground), the Engineers News print magazine, and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Operating Engineers Local Union No 3
- Legal name
- Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3
- Website
- https://oe3.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1939
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 is a four-state (CA, NV, UT, HI) labor union founded in 1939, representing 40,000+ heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, miners, and public employees through collective bargaining, apprenticeship training, and benefits administration.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Labor Union Services
- NAICS
- Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Occupational Safety, OSHA & Workplace Compliance Training (EDAOAMAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Occupational Safety & OSHA Compliance (EDABAEAA), Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL)
Keywords
Where Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Livermore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices20 records
Markets served
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Union Membership Dues: Operating Engineers Local 3 generates revenue through membership dues paid by its 37,000+ members. Members include heavy-equipment operators, public employees, miners, surveyors, mechanics, and inspectors working across construction, mining, and public sector roles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard union membership with full benefits access |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 (OE3) is a labor union representing more than 40,000 heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, inspectors, miners, and public employees across California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii. The union delivers collective bargaining representation, apprenticeship and journey-level training through state-level Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATC), health and welfare benefits, retirement programs, scholarship support, political advocacy through its VOTE/EARN programs, and the Engineers News monthly magazine.
Product overview
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 (OE3) is a labor union that provides a portfolio of member services rather than a unified software product. The core offering is union membership, which encompasses collective bargaining representation, job security, and benefits administration. Supporting services include apprenticeship training programs (offered through JATC in four states), the Engineers News monthly magazine (published since 1943), scholarship programs for members' children, retirement and health/welfare benefits, political advocacy through the VOTE program, and contractor services for signatory employers. These services are not modular software products but rather organized programs delivered through the union's district offices and training centers across California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Utah.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Engineers News: Award-winning monthly magazine publication for members, in circulation since 1943.
Products and services
- Union Membership Membership in Operating Engineers Local 3 providing job security, collective bargaining representation, health care and retirement benefits, and access to training facilities across a four-state jurisdiction for heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, inspectors, miners, and public employees.
- Apprenticeship Training Programs Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) earn-while-you-learn programs for heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and paving equipment operators, available in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
- Engineers News Magazine Award-winning 32-page monthly magazine published since 1943, keeping members informed about union activities, industry news, training, and member achievements.
- Scholarship Program Academic and merit scholarship program supporting children of Local 3 members pursuing higher education, administered through the Operating Engineers Scholarship Foundation.
- Retirement and Health/Welfare Benefits Retirement planning services, pension programs, health care benefits, member assistance and recovery programs, and access to the union's credit union services for members.
- Political Advocacy (VOTE/EARN Programs) Grassroots political advocacy programs enabling member participation in political endorsements and policy engagement that affect the workforce and infrastructure investment.
- Contractor Services Services for signatory contractors including access to a trained workforce, apprentice and journeyman training, benefits administration, and collective bargaining agreements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 80 years of continuous operation since 1939
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Operating Engineers Local Union No 3
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature2 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Teichert ConstructionmajorTeichert Construction is a signatory contractor that has employed Operating Engineers Local 3 members. The company has credited OE3 members' contributions as a vital part of their growth in Northern California. This is a long-standing relationship where OE3 provides skilled workers and Teichert provides employment opportunities and market access.
- Construction Testing ServicescoreConstruction Testing Services provides apprenticeship hours for construction inspector apprentices like Taylor Wilson at UCSF Hellen Diller Children's Hospital. OE3 apprentices gain on-the-job training experience with this partner company.
- Flatiron Dragados WestcoreFlatiron Dragados West is a signatory contractor providing journey-level work opportunities for OE3 members at projects like the Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill. The company benefits from access to OE3's trained workforce.
- Signatory ContractorscoreOE3 has established relationships with hundreds of signatory contractors who have collective bargaining agreements with the union. These contractors gain access to a skilled, trained workforce while OE3 members gain employment opportunities.
- Operating Engineers 324coreOperating Engineers 324 joined the Road Commission for Oakland County in urging motorists to pay attention in work zones during National Work Zone Awareness Week. This represents inter-union collaboration on worker safety issues.
- Genesee County Road CommissionminorGenesee County Road Commission partnered with OE3 and RCOC to raise awareness about work zone safety during National Work Zone Awareness Week.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU): Umbrella organization for 14 building trades unions including IUOE. Coordinates multi-craft project labor agreements (PLAs) and apprenticeship coordination across affiliated locals, directly affecting OE3's market access on large projects.
- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National trade association representing open-shop (non-union) contractors. Operates apprenticeship programs competing with JATC models, represents OE3's primary competitive threat on construction projects in the four-state jurisdiction.
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM): Large U.S. labor union with some overlapping industrial/mechanical trade representation (machinists, mechanics). Comparable multi-state local structure and benefits administration, though focused more on manufacturing/aerospace than construction.
Direct peers
- Operating Engineers Local 12: Sister local of IUOE covering Southern California and Southern Nevada. Identical trade representation (heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors), similar apprenticeship/JATC model, and directly comparable membership and benefits structure.
- Operating Engineers Local 49: IUOE local covering Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Same craft representation with JATC training centers, collective bargaining agreements, and benefits administration comparable to OE3's four-state structure.
- Operating Engineers Local 139: IUOE local serving Wisconsin and Illinois with a comparable apprenticeship and collective bargaining model. Same craft, same training infrastructure, similar membership scale (~10K-12K members).
Broad incumbents
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE): OE3's parent international union; represents 400,000+ operating engineers across the U.S. and Canada. Same craft jurisdiction, broader geographic scope, and sets national bargaining strategy that OE3 executes at the local level.
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters: One of the largest U.S. labor unions with construction-related members (e.g., dump truck drivers, ready-mix). Comparable scale, multi-state structure, and benefits/retirement administration footprint overlapping with OE3's mining and construction segments.
- Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA): Large AFL-CIO construction trades union with overlapping jurisdiction on many heavy/highway and infrastructure projects where OE3 operators work. Competes and collaborates with OE3 for signatory contractors and project labor agreements.
- United Brotherhood of Carpenters: Major building trades union with adjacent jurisdiction on construction sites where OE3 members operate equipment. Comparable structure: apprenticeship training, multi-state locals, signatory contractor networks, and political advocacy programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 social profiles
Digital presenceOperating Engineers Local Union No 3 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Operating Engineers Local Union No 3
What does Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 do?
Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 (OE3) is a labor union representing more than 40,000 heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, inspectors, miners, and public employees across California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii. The union delivers collective bargaining representation, apprenticeship and journey-level training through state-level Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATC), health and welfare benefits, retirement programs, scholarship support, political advocacy through its VOTE/EARN programs, and the Engineers News monthly magazine.
Is Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 a public or private company?
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 founded?
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 was founded in 1939. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 based?
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 is headquartered in Livermore, United States, in the North America region.
How does Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 make money?
One revenue line is on record: union Membership Dues.
Who are Operating Engineers Local Union No 3's main competitors?
Others on record are North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Direct peers are Operating Engineers Local 12, Operating Engineers Local 49 and Operating Engineers Local 139. Broad incumbents are International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) and United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
Does Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Operating Engineers Local Union No 3.
What industry is Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 in?
Operating Engineers Local Union No 3's product category is Labor Union Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOAMAK, Occupational Safety, OSHA & Workplace Compliance Training, with a secondary code of EDABAEAA, General Occupational Safety & OSHA Compliance. Its NAICS code is 611513 and its SIC code is 7361.