Cement Mason · Local 502 · Since 2002
Listed as Anthony C. Michelin on your ballot
I'm a proud first-generation mason. Nothing in this trade was handed to me. Everything I have came through hard work and a commitment to getting better every single day. I've worked nearly every corner of our trade: high-rises, paving, factory floors, site work, curb and gutter, and everything in between. When I walk onto a jobsite, I understand the challenges our members face because I have lived them myself.
It requires commitment, accountability, and a willingness to put the membership first every day. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Contractors will see that I'm present and engaged on their jobs. Your Business Agent will show up. Every time.
Our Constitution, By-Laws, and Agreements will be enforced and respected. No exceptions, no looking the other way.
Members will know their calls will be answered and their concerns will be heard. Access shouldn't be a privilege.
I've helped train our apprentices. Building up the next generation of cement masons protects the future of this Local.
An injury to one is an injury to all.The enduring motto of the labor movement
Cement masons are among the oldest organized building trades in America. As poured concrete reshaped the modern city in the early twentieth century, the men and women who placed and finished that concrete organized to win fair wages, safer conditions, and the dignity their skill deserved. They built the bridges, the foundations, the factory floors, and the highways that connect us.
The Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association (OPCMIA) traces its roots to the 1860s, making it one of the founding pillars of the organized building trades. For generations, local halls like ours have trained apprentices, set the standard for craftsmanship, and made sure that the people who do the work share in what they build.
Local 502, serving the Chicago area, carries that tradition forward. We're a membership of skilled tradespeople who take pride in doing the job right and standing together.
General trade history shown for context. For official records and milestones specific to Local 502, content can be supplied by the Local.
“The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.”
Martin Luther King Jr., to the AFL-CIO, 1961“What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails… more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge.”
Samuel Gompers, founder, American Federation of LaborI'm running because I've spent years investing in this Local, participating in our union, and earning the trust of the members I've worked beside. If you want a Business Agent who knows the work and puts the membership first, I respectfully ask for your support and your vote.
Vote Tony Michelin · Business Agent