The first issue of The Building Tradesman was dated on Jan. 11, 1952 - historically when the strength of the U.S. labor movement was at its greatest.

Publication of the paper, it said in that first issue, "was motivated by the great demand of the rank and file members to build a press of its own, effective enough and influential enough to do justice to this great movement it presents."

No less than three times in that first issue it was mentioned that the general newspapers of the day were "not sympathetic to the ideals of Labor." Another column said "it is folly to expect our daily newspapers owned by anti-labor big business enterprises."

So "The Building Tradesman" was born as a weekly source of information that 40,000 building tradesmen could call their own. Started by The Greater Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council as its official publication, the paper is also the official publication of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as that of numerous local unions.

The paper has changed its appearance, its content, its frequency of publication and its personnel over the years, but the Tradesman has never strayed far from its original objectives. (See story below). As we all know, people come and go in the construction industry, and the State of Michigan and the nation have seen some wild swings in economic fortune over the years. And today, the percentage of Americans who are union members is at or near rock-bottom.

But The Building Tradesman has survived - which is remarkable considering the number of other union publications that have gone belly-up over the years. 
Today, to the best of our knowledge, we are the largest construction trade-union publication in the nation by circulation.

Our mission continues to be to inform and educate Michigan's unionized construction workers - and illustrate and highlight the good work that they do.

Throughout 2001, we have recognized some of the construction projects built by our "Hardhats" who made Michigan what it is today. Hopefully, in another 50 years, another editor will be celebrating The Building Tradesman's 100th anniversary - and will continue to recognize your work, and in some cases, the work of your grandparents, parents, and children.

THE FIRST ISSUE of The Building Tradesman was published on Jan. 11, 1952. The paper has changed its look and frequency over the years - it moved from publishing weekly to bi-weekly in 1992, the same year color photos were introduced. The major issues in 1952 included news of the Michigan Federation of Labor urging fair reapportionment of Michigan legislative districts, and the pending 13-cent per-hour average pay hike for the construction industry. The photo was a shot of the new City-County Building going up in Detroit.