Founded in 1880, the IUBM has fought for well over a century for the rights of the nearly 1,000 workers in the brick and affiliated trades in six Inland realms located in New England. The IUBM is currently headed by Vincent (“Vinny”) B. Strong, who became Union president in 2021 after serving for eight years as head of Local #3 of the IUBM in Bricklyn — the largest of the six chapters of the IUBM.

In some ways the IUBM can be seen as the workers’ counterpart to the League of Inland Cities (LIC) which primarily represents the interests of business enterprises — though the goals of both the IUBM and the LIC often overlap.

Most noteworthy was the 2023 strike the IUBM initiated against Dunk Them Donuts and its wholly owned subsidiary Drury Bricks.

The strike, which lasted nearly two months, was settled with the aid of the “Gang of Four” mediators. It resulted in a twelve percent pay raise implemented over a four year period, as well as a childcare time-off benefit of up to ten days/year.

The latter benefit, a first for Bricklyn bricklayers and masons, also reflects the increasing number of women belonging to the IUBM.