What Iron Workers Local 512 does

Iron Workers Local 512 is a chartered labor union local of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers, founded in 1937 through the merger of Minneapolis Local #19 and St. Paul Local #94 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. The union represents over 2,000 active journeyman ironworkers and apprentices across a jurisdiction of approximately 175,000 square miles spanning Minnesota, North Dakota, and Western Wisconsin, organized into three regional offices (Region A in St. Paul, Region B in Hermantown/Duluth, and Region C in Bismarck/Fargo). Its core services are skilled-trade labor dispatch to signatory contractors and a four-year registered apprenticeship program producing certified ironworkers proficient in structural steel erection, reinforcing steel, architectural/ornamental work, precast concrete, rigging, and welding across SMAW, FCAW, GTAW, and GMAW processes.

The union operates AWS-accredited training centers staffed by multiple Certified Welding Inspectors, and maintains a welding continuity log system requiring documentation of certified-process work every six months to maintain certifications. Members are dispatched to signatory contractors through a regional referral system managed by business agents; contractors range from large international firms to small local shops. Marketing and recruiting is primarily community-led, with more than 50 annual outreach events at high schools, trade schools, and large venues across all three regions, supplemented by a website, Facebook presence, member events, retiree gatherings, and family-tradition referrals.

Revenue is generated primarily through a 4% working dues check-off on member gross wages, a $0.17/hour organizing dues deduction, $400/semester apprentice tuition (totaling $3,200 over the four-year program), and a $3.25/hour savings plan deduction (largely pass-through). The current Region A journeyman total package is $87.68/hour (effective May 3, 2026 - May 1, 2027), with apprentices starting at 70% of journeyman wages and progressing 4% every six months upon meeting a 400-hour/semester requirement. The organization is member-governed with elected officers and operates with a staff of 16 across its three regional offices.

Name

Iron Workers Local 512

Legal name

Iron Workers Local 512

Website

https://ironworkers512.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iron Workers Local 512 is a chartered labor union local representing 2,000+ active journeyman ironworkers and apprentices across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Western Wisconsin, providing labor dispatch to signatory contractors and AWS-accredited four-year apprenticeship training in structural, reinforcing, ornamental, and welding trades.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Skilled Trades (Electricians/Plumbers/HVAC/Carpenters) Staffing (BPACAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Structural Steel Welding & Erection-Focused Training (EDAOADAC), Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

Keywords

• Ironworker apprenticeship training
• Construction labor union
• Structural steel erection
• Union job dispatch
• Welding certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Working Dues Check-Off: The employer deducts 4% of the employee's gross wages as a working dues check-off deduction. This deduction does not apply to per diem, subsistence, mileage or bonus payments.
2. Organizing Dues Check-Off: The employer deducts $0.17 per hour worked from the employee's after-tax wages as an organizing dues check-off deduction.
3. Apprentice Tuition: Apprentices pay $400 per semester, totaling $3,200 over the four-year apprenticeship program.
4. Savings Plan Deduction: Employer deducts $3.25 per hour worked from employee's after-tax wages as a Savings Plan Deduction, calculated on hours-worked basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Iron Workers Local 512 is a labor union local representing over 2,000 ironworkers across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Western Wisconsin. Its core offering is connecting trained journeyman and apprentice ironworkers to signatory contractors through a regional dispatch system, supported by a four-year registered apprenticeship program with AWS-accredited welding certification. The union also negotiates wage and fringe benefit packages, administers pension, health and welfare, and annuity funds, and runs community outreach recruiting.

Product overview

Iron Workers Local 512 is a labor union representing over 2,000 active ironworking members across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Western Wisconsin. The organization provides union membership services including job dispatch through signatory contractors, a four-year apprenticeship training program, welding certification, fringe benefit fund management, retiree support, and a members-only portal for timesheets and dispatch logs. The union's primary service is connecting trained ironworkers with construction employment opportunities through its regional offices and referral system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Four-Year Registered Apprenticeship Program A four-year earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship program combining classroom instruction and on-the-job training, covering structural steel erection, reinforcing steel, architectural/ornamental ironwork, welding, rigging, and layout. Apprentices start at 70% of journeyman wages and progress by 4% every 6 months upon meeting a 400-hour per-semester requirement, up to 98% of journeyman scale. Total tuition is $3,200 ($400/semester).
• Welding Certification Program AWS-accredited welding training offering multiple certifications in SMAW and FCAW processes, with additional training in GTAW and GMAW. Training centers staff several Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs). Welders must document welding in certified processes every six months to maintain certifications under AWS standards via a Welding Continuity Log System.
• Union Job Dispatch and Referral System A dispatch service that matches ironworker members to job opportunities with signatory contractors across three regions. Business agents receive calls from contractors needing ironworkers and assign members in order from the Regional Referral List (Journeyman, Apprentice, then others). Contractors can also request direct calls of specific named workers.
• Fringe Benefit Fund Administration Management of member pension, health and welfare, annuity, and apprenticeship training fund contributions, including working dues check-off (4% of gross wages), organizing dues check-off ($0.17/hour), and savings plan deductions ($3.25/hour). Processed through fund administrator Wilson-McShane Corporation and Twin City Iron Workers Fringe Benefit Funds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members can earn up to $48.00/hr base wage plus $39.68/hr in fringe benefits ($87.68/hr total compensation in Region A)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• TEAM (Total Employee Assistance Management)coreOthersEmployee Assistance Program provider serving union members. TEAM helps Ironworkers and their families with mental health, addiction, nutrition, wellness, weight loss, smoking cessation, and other personal challenges. Works specifically with labor and trade unions in the Midwest.
• IMPACT (Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting Ironworkers with safety resources, suicide prevention resources, and cooperative initiatives between union and management. Provides comprehensive safety guidelines and mental health support materials for ironworkers.
• Building Trades Credit UnionminorOthersCredit union serving building trades workers including ironworkers. Provides financial services to union members.
• Wilson-McShane CorporationcoreOthersFund administrator handling fringe benefit contributions, savings plan deductions, and working dues check-off. Located at 3001 Metro Drive, Suite 500, Bloomington, MN 55425-1412. Phone: (952)854-0795.
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing IronworkerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe international union parent organization. Local 512 was founded in 1937 as part of this international union. Provides standards, training frameworks, and collective bargaining support.
• Twin City Iron Workers Fringe Benefit FundscoreOthersManages pension, health & welfare, annuity, and apprenticeship training fund contributions. Processes fringe benefit contributions from employers on behalf of union members.
• Minnesota Building and Construction Trades CouncilmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliated council representing building trades unions in Minnesota. Partners on joint marketing, workforce development, and political advocacy for the trades.
• Area High Schools and Trade SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institutions hosting outreach events where ironworkers promote careers in the trades. College welding programs are particularly valuable recruitment sources for future apprentices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Iron Workers Local 1 (Chicago): Largest ironworker local in the U.S. and a sibling local under the same International Association. Operates the same dispatch, apprenticeship, and AWS-accredited welding training model at meaningfully larger scale, with comparable journeyman wage/fringe structure.
• Iron Workers Local 40 (New York): Long-established ironworker local operating in the New York region with a similar mix of structural steel erection, reinforcing, and ornamental work. Provides a directly comparable reference for journeyman wage scales, fringe structures, and apprenticeship pipeline economics.
• Iron Workers Local 433 (Los Angeles): Large ironworker local serving Southern California under the same International union, with comparable structural, reinforcing, and architectural iron scopes. Useful comparable for understanding how regional ironworker locals operate at scale on commercial and entertainment construction projects.
• Iron Workers Local 3 (New York City): Major East Coast ironworker local under the same International union, with an overlapping scope of structural, reinforcing, ornamental, and welding work. Comparable in that it dispatches union members to signatory contractors via a referral system and runs an apprenticeship program.

Regional players

• Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 (Minneapolis): Building trades union local covering the same Twin Cities and greater Minnesota territory, with overlapping scopes on commercial and industrial construction projects. Comparable union operating model (dispatch, apprenticeship, signatory agreements) in the same regional construction labor market.
• Carpenters Local 322 (Minneapolis/St. Paul): Regional carpenters union local operating in the Twin Cities with a similar dispatch and apprenticeship framework. Comparable as a Minnesota building trades union local sharing job sites and competing for the same general contractor relationships.
• IBEW Local 110 (St. Paul): Electrical workers union local operating in the same Twin Cities market with the same dispatch/apprenticeship/signatory contractor model. Comparable as a Minnesota building trades union local competing for shared general contractors and project pipelines.
• Operating Engineers Local 49 (Minneapolis): Building trades union local covering the same Minnesota/Northern Plains geography, dispatching heavy equipment operators to contractors. Directly comparable as a same-territory union local that organizes apprentices, negotiates signatory agreements, and competes for the same construction labor pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nb4F30W668
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iron-workers-local-512

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iron Workers Local 512