Our Beginnings
Hamilton Carpenters were the first Canadian group to apply for a Charter in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (U.B.C.). The founding members organized on December 18, 1881, and chartered on January 30th, 1882, making Hamilton the first U.B.C. Local in Canada when they were issued their Local 18 Charter.
![The Local 18 Charter]()
The Local 18 Charter is still on display at the Hamilton office.
Expansion and Merger
In 1991, U.B.C. Local 38 in Niagara, Ontario, merged with Local 18 Hamilton, which remains today as Local 18 Hamilton Zone 1 and Local 18 Niagara Zone 2. Local 18 offers our membership two office locations to meet the needs of both zones: one in Hamilton and one in Niagara on the Lake.
Milestones and Growth
In 2017, Local 18 celebrated our 135th anniversary with the U.B.C. and we continue to build our active membership and working relationships with our signatory contractors. We encourage our membership to be active in the Local and to make themselves more employable by learning new skills or upgrading their existing skills by attending training courses offered throughout the year.
As of 2017, Local 18 has a membership of over 1,200 members and continues to grow with new apprentices and qualified journeypersons being accepted into membership to keep up with the demands of the construction industry.