Dock Builders Local Union

What Dock Builders Local Union does

Dock Builders Local Union, formally Local Union 1556, is a labor union local founded in 1935 and headquartered at 395 Hudson Street, New York, NY. It represents skilled construction trades workers in the New York City metropolitan area, Long Island, and parts of New Jersey, primarily organized into two divisions: Dockbuilders (pile driving, sheet piling, foundation piling, marine construction, commercial diving) and Timbermen (shoring and sheeting, core drilling, hod hoist and scaffolding, sidewalk bridges). The local is affiliated with the New York City District Council of Carpenters and, through it, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, which has more than 650,000 members nationally.

The local's core offerings are membership services, a four-year paid apprenticeship program, journeyman continuing education through the NYC Carpenter Training Center, detailed published wage and benefit rate sheets for each trade specialty, a scholarship program for members' children administered via ISTS, and member communications through a website and the Union Strong mobile app. Members gain access to negotiated wages, health insurance, pension and welfare benefits, and work referrals routed through the District Council's Out of Work List system.

The revenue model is dues-driven and subscription-recurring: active members pay $186.30 per quarter (or $745.20 annually), early retirees $77.63 per quarter, and retirees $18.63 per quarter, supplemented by a $284.63 upgrade fee and a $51.75 suspension fee. Online payments incur a 3.5% administrative fee (effective March 1, 2025, raised from 3%). Working dues assessments are collected and administered at the District Council level rather than by the local directly. The local is member-owned and member-governed through elected officers (President Carl Zanchelli, Vice President Christopher Sorensen, Financial Secretary Victor Saume, and others) and is supported by a small administrative staff of approximately 10 employees.

Name

Dock Builders Local Union

Legal name

Local Union 1556

Website

https://lu1556.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dock Builders Local Union 1556 is a NYC-area labor union local founded in 1935, representing over 2,500 dock builders, timbermen, and related construction trades workers through apprenticeship training, collective bargaining, and District Council job referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Trade Labor Union Services

NAICS

Specialty Trade Contractors (238)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Maritime & Port Labor (Dockworkers/Longshore) Staffing (BPACAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Heavy Civil Construction Trades (Roads, Bridges & Utilities) (EDAOAAAN)

Keywords

• Labor union services
• Construction trade union
• Apprenticeship training
• Collective bargaining representation
• Union membership dues

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Primary revenue stream from membership dues. Quarterly dues are $186.30 for active members, with additional categories for early retirees ($77.63/quarter) and regular retirees ($18.63/quarter). Annual dues are $745.20. Upgrade fees ($284.63) and suspension fees ($51.75) provide additional revenue.
2. Working Dues Assessments: Members suspended by the District Council for owing working dues assessments cannot have payments accepted by the local union, indicating assessment-based revenue collection through the District Council.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Local Union 1556 is a labor union local representing dock builders, timbermen, hod hoist carpenters, and core drillers in the New York City metropolitan area. It sells membership to individual construction workers, providing collective bargaining representation, negotiated wages and benefits, health insurance, pension, welfare, job referrals through the District Council's Out of Work List system, and a four-year paid apprenticeship training program. The union also administers scholarship programs for members' children and continuing education for journeymen.

Product overview

Dock Builders Local Union 1556 operates as a labor union affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, providing membership services to over 2,500 dock builders and timbermen workers in the New York City area. The organization offers a portfolio of services including union membership and representation, four-year apprenticeship training programs with progressive wages, journeyman continuing education classes, and comprehensive skill certification tracking. The union maintains detailed rate sheets for wage and benefits information across multiple specializations (dockbuilding, timbermen, core drilling, hod hoist), and provides member benefits including scholarship programs for members' children. Communication services include a mobile application (UnionStrong) for member notifications. The organization operates from the Carpenter School Labor Technical College at 395 Hudson Street, New York, NY.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership (Active, Early Retiree, Regular Retiree)
• Apprenticeship Training Program
• Journeyman Training Classes
• Job Referral Service (Out of Work List)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent labor organization providing collective bargaining support, training resources, and industry representation. UBC has over 650,000 members. Local 1556 is affiliated with this brotherhood and operates under its constitution and bylaws.
• New York City District Council of CarpenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe District Council administers job referrals through the Out of Work List system, training programs through the Carpenter Training Center, organizing activities, and is the governing body for multiple local unions including Local 1556. The District Council also provides college program information and coordinates scholarship programs.
• New York City District Council Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Journeyman and apprentice training classes. CTC offers NCCRS credit recommendations and partners with the NYC District Council for college program information. Journeyman classes are open for registration on the training center website.
• ISTS (International Scholarship and Tuition Services)minorOthersThird-party service provider administering the Local 1456/1556 Scholarship application process for members' children. Applications are processed through ISTS's online platform during students' senior year of high school.
• Carpenters RISE ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion program providing workforce development and advancement opportunities for carpenters. Affiliated with the NYC District Council, the RISE program supports career development and training for union members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC): International parent union with 650,000+ members that governs Local 1556. Comparable as the broader national carpenters organization providing collective bargaining, training curricula, and benefits administration that Local 1556 operates under.
• New York City District Council of Carpenters: Parent governing body that administers Local 1556's job referrals, training, and organizing. Comparable as the umbrella carpenters organization operating across multiple local unions in the NYC region with overlapping membership governance and training infrastructure.

Direct peers

• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 14 / 15-15A: NYC-area operating engineers union representing heavy-equipment operators, crane operators, and hoisting engineers. Highly comparable as a building-trades local providing specialized construction labor referral, apprenticeship, and collective bargaining in the same NYC metropolitan market.
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 40 / 361: NYC ironworkers union covering pile driving, structural steel, and reinforcing iron work — directly overlapping Local 1556's pile-driving and marine construction scope and serving the same NYC contractor base.
• Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 731: NYC laborers union providing construction craft labor including shoring, scaffold, and site-prep work. Directly comparable as a building-trades local with overlapping shoring and construction-support scope and shared NYC District Council / building-trades council affiliations.
• Mason Tenders District Council of Greater New York: NYC union representing masons, plasterers, and related construction craft laborers. Comparable as a building-trades local providing specialized construction labor referral and collective bargaining within the same NYC metro market.
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 9: NYC painting, glazing, and waterproofing trades union. Comparable as another affiliated NYC building-trades local with similar membership dues model, apprenticeship structure, and District Council coordination.

Regional players

• Cement and Concrete Workers District Council of New York and New Jersey: Concrete and cement masons union covering the NYC/NJ metro area. Comparable as a building-trades local serving overlapping construction sites in the same regional market with similar dues, apprenticeship, and referral structures.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 282: NYC-area building-trades affiliated union representing construction drivers, warehouse, and related trades. Comparable as a NYC building-trades local with similar membership dues structure and District Council governance overlap.

Others

• Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA): National trade association representing pile driving contractors who employ Local 1556 members. Comparable as a stakeholder organization directly tied to the dockbuilder/pile-driving market segment Local 1556 serves, though representing employers rather than labor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dock-builders-local-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Dock Builders Local Union