In Ohio early in the decade, work hours fell 14% behind the year before, even as labor productivity study showed that union workers were 29% more productive that non-union members.
A year later, the centennial of the American Federation of Labor was termed "the worst year in our history," by Business Manager Erwin. The effects were felt in a variety of ways, even changing frequency of the Buckeye Engineer from a monthly to a quarterly to save money.
Another change made around that time was the resignation of Mr. Erwin to assume the position of Director of Organizing and Assistant to IUOE General President. Frank Miller, Another Local 18 "legacy" following in his father’s footsteps, was elected Business Manager.
It seems as if it was the year for change as retired District Rep. Jack Kenney was asked to establish a Local 18 Retirees Club. In Columbus, there was an even more significant change. Richard F. Celeste was elected Governor and Tom Louis was named Local 18’s Legislative Representative.
As a result of these incentives, the number of hours worked by Local 18 members in 1985 increased for the first time in six years. Two years later, Business Manager Miller was able to announce "we are as close to full employment as we have been since 1979."
Celeste’s election did not turn things around immediately in the state, but it was a
start. In 1985 he began his "Operation Jobs for Ohioans," six initiatives to
improve the state of the state. Initial emphasis on highways meant a $1.9 Billion infusion
for highway construction, augmented by the Federal Highway Transportation Assistance Act
of 1984 that had made more than $5.2 billion available for the 1984-85 fiscal year.
As a sign of changing times – and changing requirements – for Operating Engineers, training in an entirely new area began. Recognizing the employment potential in the hazardous materials industry, the IUOE (with a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) established a comprehensive hazmat training program in 1987.
Local 18’s training centers added this training to their comprehensive programs as increasing emphasis was placed on training for success.
As Local 18 got ready to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, things seemed to be looking up.