Local 518

What Local 518 does

Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 518 (OPCM Local 518) is a regional labor union local chartered under the OPCM International Association, representing skilled plasterers and cement masons across four geographic territories: the Kansas City metropolitan area (covering Jackson, Clay, Cass, Platte, and Ray counties in Missouri and Wyandotte, Johnson, Miami, and Leavenworth counties in Kansas), Central Missouri, the Springfield region, and Outstate Kansas and Oklahoma. Founded in 2015 and headquartered at 301 S Main St in Independence, Missouri, with an apprenticeship training facility at 105 W 12th Ave in North Kansas City, the union provides collective bargaining representation, standardized wage and fringe benefit administration, apprenticeship training programs, and member services to journeypersons and apprentices working in commercial, heavy, and light residential construction.

Local 518 generates revenue through member supplemental dues deducted from wages under collective bargaining agreements, classifying as a subscription/recurring revenue model. The organization negotiates region-specific wage and fringe rate schedules with signatory contractor associations; published 2026 total package rates range from $44.68/hour for cement mason journeypersons in Springfield to $63.79/hour in Kansas City commercial work. Member benefits—health and welfare, pension, vacation, and defined contribution plans—are administered through partner organizations including Wilson-McShane Corporation and Ekon Benefits, with substance abuse compliance handled via CISAP.

The union's only direct digital product is a Square-based online payment portal for member dues and fees. It does not develop proprietary technology; the core technology field is explicitly not applicable for a labor union organization. Distribution is relationship-driven via collective bargaining agreements with regional employer associations, supplemented by a Facebook presence and word-of-mouth within the construction trades community. Leadership is structured under elected officers serving three-year terms, with the current 2023-2026 slate led by President Gordon Hitt, Vice President Kenneth Gorham, and Business Manager Kevin Gard. The organization operates approximately 15 staff across officer, business agent, organizer, apprenticeship coordination, and administrative functions.

Name

Local 518

Legal name

Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 518

Website

https://opcmia518.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Local 518 (Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 518) is a regional labor union local representing plasterers and cement masons across the Kansas City, Central Missouri, Springfield, and Outstate Kansas/Oklahoma territories, providing collective bargaining, apprenticeship training, and benefits administration to journeypersons and apprentices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Labor union services
• Collective bargaining agreements
• Apprenticeship training
• Construction trade union
• Fringe benefits administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Independence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Union Dues: Local 518 generates revenue through member dues, which are deducted from wages as supplemental dues. These dues fund union operations, collective bargaining activities, and member services.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Local 518 is a regional labor union representing operative plasterers and cement masons across Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It provides collective bargaining representation, administers health/welfare, pension, vacation, and defined contribution fringe benefits, and operates a joint apprenticeship training program with the Builders' Association Training Center. Membership services are delivered directly to union members, while the union supplies skilled labor to signatory construction contractors under negotiated collective bargaining agreements.

Product overview

Local 518 is a labor union representing operative plasterers and cement masons. The organization offers union membership services, apprenticeship training programs for cement masons and plasterers, and provides access to benefits including insurance, pension, and vacation funds. The union also operates an online payment portal for member transactions. The portfolio consists of membership services and apprenticeship programs across multiple regional chapters (Kansas City, Central Missouri, Springfield, Outstate Kansas/Oklahoma).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership with Collective Bargaining Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Kansas City Commercial total package: $63.79 per hour for journeypersons
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 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.

• OPCM International AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational parent organization for Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons unions. Located at 9700 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21046. Phone: (301) 623-1000. The international association provides support, standards, and coordination for local unions like Local 518.
• Wilson-McShane CorporationminorOthersBenefits administration partner located at 12200 N Ambassador Dr, Suite 400, Kansas City, MO 64163. Phone: (877) 518-0518. Administer insurance, pension, and vacation benefits for union members. Website: www.kcmasonsbenefits.org
• Ekon BenefitsminorOthersDefined contribution benefits administrator located at 4940 Washington Blvd, St Louis, MO 63108. Phone: (314) 367-6555. Provides defined contribution plan administration for union members.
• CISAP (Construction Industry Substance Abuse Program)minorOthersSubstance abuse testing program for the construction industry. Located at 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Ste 221, Fairway, KS 66205. Phone: (913) 312-5405. Provides drug testing services as required for apprentices and journey workers.
• Builders' Association Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint apprenticeship training facility located at 105 W 12th Avenue, North Kansas City, Missouri. Hosts the Cement Masons Joint Apprenticeship Committee and provides apprenticeship training for cement masons and plasterers. Applications accepted first and third working Mondays of each month.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC): Major building trades union with regional councils covering commercial, heavy, and residential construction. Directly comparable as a fellow construction trade union running apprenticeship programs, collective bargaining, and multi-state benefit funds.
• Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA): Largest construction trade union in North America, representing laborers on building, heavy, highway, and utility construction. Comparable in structure, revenue model (member dues), and construction industry focus, though covering different trades than Local 518.
• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE): Building trades union operating heavy equipment on construction sites. Comparable operating model (dues-funded, regional locals, apprenticeship training, collective bargaining with contractor associations) and overlapping employer base with Local 518.
• International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART): Building trades union with construction, HVAC, and architectural sheet metal divisions. Comparable as a fellow unionized construction craft with apprenticeship pipelines, multi-jurisdiction collective bargaining, and benefits fund administration.
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC): Building trades union representing bricklayers, tile setters, plasterers, cement masons, and pointers/caulkers/cleaners. Directly comparable as a fellow construction trade union with apprenticeship programs, collective bargaining, and benefits administration in overlapping jurisdictions.
• International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers: Specialized building trades union with apprenticeship, collective bargaining, and benefit fund structures similar to Local 518. Operates regional locals covering overlapping Midwest geographies.

Others

• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): Largest trade association for commercial construction contractors in the U.S. Local 518 negotiates collective bargaining agreements with contractor associations of this type. Relevant counterparty/ecosystem participant rather than a direct labor-side competitor.

Broad incumbents

• OPCM International Association: National parent union for operative plasterers and cement masons. Local 518 is a chartered local of this organization, making it the most direct structural peer — comparable trade, jurisdiction, and apprenticeship model, just at the international/parent level rather than the local level.

Emerging players

• Helmets to Hardhats: National nonprofit that connects transitioning military members with registered apprenticeship programs in the building trades. Comparable as a construction-trade apprenticeship pipeline, though serving veterans rather than incumbent workers.

Regional players

• Builders' Association Training Center (Kansas City): Joint labor-management training facility where Local 518 hosts its Cement Masons Joint Apprenticeship Committee. Comparable as a regional apprenticeship/workforce development provider serving multiple building trades in the Kansas City metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-518

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 Local 518