The National Building Trades Council (NBTC) was an American federation of labor unions in the construction industry.
Many national and international construction industry unions refused to join the NBTC, further limiting its influence.
Where as most buildings had been constructed primarily of wood, cut stone and plaster, now metal framing and trim, reinforced concrete, prefabricated materials, and man-made tiles were becoming the norm.
[1] The nature of the construction industry at the time also concentrated power in the hands of local rather than regional or national unions.
[6] Even as jurisdictional battles increased, local building trades councils had formed in most major cities by 1897.
[1][7] In 1897, a group of building trades unions from the Midwest met in St. Louis to form a national organization.
[8] The NBTC also encouraged the formation of local and regional building trades councils, established a correspondence committee to keep unions informed of jurisdictional decisions and collective bargaining trends, worked to create a national work card system, lobbied for laws requiring an eight-hour day, and lobbied for laws creating mechanics liens.