Iron Workers Local Union No. 263 History

     Iron Workers Local Union No. 263 was chartered,  just a week after the end of the Great War ( World War I), on November 20, 1918.  Local 263 was organized in Fort Worth, Texas by William J. McCain, Vice President of the International Iron Workers Union.  The charter was signed by International President P.J. Morrin and Willaim J. McCain, Vice President and General Secretary.  The original charters members were J.R. Estes, W.S. Calhoun, C.E. Kidd, E.L. Ferguson, A.J. Wright, John Burtleson, Jos. Stover, Wilfred Stephenson, Hassell Starkes, S.A. Cragger, E.B. Raley, C.R. Welsh, R.L. Parker, Clyde Sanders, B.F. Haskey and A.G. Gonzalez.

     From its beginning membership in 1918 of 30 men to today’s membership of over 1,000 members, Local 263 has managed to roll with the flow of the economic times.  It hasn’t always been easy, from boom to bust, the Local has seen it all.   Because of continued loss of market share during the 1980’s and early 1990’s in Texas, Local 263 of Fort Worth, Local 481 of Dallas and Local 840 of West Texas were all merged together in March of 1996.