Our Union
Our Mission
The mission of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) is to represent and advocate for our members through collective bargaining, ensuring fair wages, strong benefits, and safe working conditions. We are committed to solidarity, advancing industry-leading training, and upholding the highest standards of professionalism and craftsmanship.
Our History
For well over a century, our talented members have reshaped the skylines of major cities throughout the United States and Canada while keeping our nations moving.
Uniting Elevator
Constructors & Workers.
We aim to provide the elevator industry with the most skilled, highly trained, and professional workforce in the world, partnering with contractors and building owners to ensure every job is done right and done safely.
IUEC Leadership
Frank J. Christensen became general president of the IUEC on September 11, 2012, after unanimous election by the General Executive Board, and was appointed vice president of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO in December 2012.
General President Christensen hails from Chicago, IL, and is a proud member of IUEC Local 2, which he joined in 1979 upon high school graduation. After working in the field for 15 years, President Christensen ran for office and ended up serving in two positions concurrently. From 1994-1998 he served as both Local 2 Executive Board member and vice president. He continued serving in other leadership positions within Local 2 including acting business representative, Joint Apprenticeship Committee Board member, and Local 2 president, until his appointment as business manager in September 2001. He was elected business manager in a special election in November 2001 and re-elected to the position four more times. During his tenure, Brother Christensen was the longest serving business manager in the history of Local 2, an honor that still stands today.
While business manager, President Christensen was appointed an IUEC vice president and a NEIEP trustee. He was also extremely active in local and state politics and advocacy, serving on numerous labor boards and committees such as the Illinois Elevator Safety Review Board where he was first chairman, the Chicago and Cook County Port Council as vice president, UNICO National’s Chicago chapter as vice president, the Illinois Italian American Labor Council where he was director, the Amalgamated Bank’s Illinois Labor Council as director and the Chicago and Cook County Building Trades Labor Leaders Council. Within the IUEC and the conveyance industry, Frank was a member of the National American Society of Mechanical Engineers A17.1 and helped create the first Qualified Elevator Inspection testing program with the Qualified Elevator Inspector Training Fund.
Throughout his career, General President Christensen has sought out a variety of educational opportunities attending Chicago-Kent College of Law, the George Meany National Labor College, and various programs through the Department of Labor, OSHA and NEIEP. He also served as a NEIEP substitute instructor earlier in his IUEC career. Brother Christensen’s leadership, vast knowledge and dedication have been recognized numerous times in the many awards that have been bestowed upon him. Has been an honored recipient of the World Peace Prize from the Irish Peace Foundation, the Illinois Fire Marshall Appreciation Certificate, the Man of the Year Award from the Italian American Labor Council, the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Northern Virginia Labor Federation and the Commander’s Award from the United States Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program.
General President Christensen is extremely passionate about giving back to the community and supporting charitable organizations, especially Chicago’s Toy Box Connection, which has come to be the official charity of the IUEC. Brother Christensen has also been extremely involved with Special Olympics, Toys for Tots, Dollars Against Diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute, and the Green Ribbon Rally to benefit the Walter Payton Liver Center at University of Illinois Medical Center.
General President Christensen has been married to his wife Lynn for 45 years and is the proud father to Trace and Diana.
James Chapman, III, was appointed to serve as IUEC assistant general president in January 2024, upon the retirement of Former Assistant General President James K. Bender, II. Brother Chapman is honored to not only serve the 31,000 members of the IUEC but to also hold in the very same position his father, James H. Chapman, Jr., served from 2000 to 2006.
Assistant General President Chapman began his career in the IUEC on July 8, 1998, following in his father’s footsteps and joining Local 12, Kansas City, MO. Prior to joining the IUEC, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
After completing his apprenticeship, Brother Chapman earned his mechanic’s license as a member of Local 12. His leadership skills and passion for the trade were quickly recognized by his fellow brothers and sisters, and he was elected to positions within the local union early in his career. He was appointed as a trustee in September 2000 and recording secretary in 2002, before being elected business manager in 2005. He served as Local 12 business manager until he was appointed IUEC national organizer in April 2009, a position he held for four years. In February 2013, Brother Chapman was appointed regional director and served in this role for 11 years until his appointment as assistant general president.
Brother Chapman has served in numerous other appointed roles within the IUEC including as a National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan trustee from 2014 to 2017 and a National Elevator Pension Plan trustee from 2017 to 2018. He has also served on numerous committees including the National Arbitration Committee, from 2018 to present, and the Labor Committee in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
Brother Chapman calls Kansas City, MO, home, and is the proud husband of Tandra and proud father of his two boys, Mitch and Max.
General Secretary-Treasurer Larry J. McGann was unanimously elected IUEC General Secretary-Treasurer at the 2011 General Convention and unanimously re-elected at the 2016 and 2021 General Conventions.
Brother McGann started his career in the elevator industry in November 1974 in Richmond, VA, and a year later, joined IUEC Local 51, Richmond. He served in numerous elected offices within the local union—recording secretary, vice president, and president—prior to his election as business manager in December 1997. He also served as a NEIEP instructor and was named Instructor of the Year for the Southeast Region for the 1994-1995 school year. Larry has also made continuing education a personal priority earning instructor status for the OSHA 10-Hour Safety Program and graduating from the Harvard Trade Union Program.
Brother McGann’s leadership was quickly recognized by the International when he was appointed as a trustee to the National Elevator Industry Pension Plan in 1997 and then appointed to the Joint Jurisdictional Committee in 1999 by then General President Edward C. Sullivan. In 2001, he was asked to join the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund as assistant national director. Just one year later Brother McGann was appointed as a regional director overseeing a jurisdiction that covered the southeast United States.
As general secretary-treasurer, Larry has served as chair/co-chair of the National Elevator Industry Benefit Plans and chair/co-chair of the National Elevator Industry Educational Fund. Brother McGann has been an IUEC Convention delegate since 1986, serving on numerous committees including the Labor Committee, By Laws Committee, NEIEP Committee, Resolutions Committee, and Health and Pension Committee, to name a few.
General Secretary-Treasurer McGann is the proud husband to wife Rosie, proud dad to his daughter Tanya and son-in-law Jeffrey, proud uncle to his nephew Robbie, and doting grandfather to grandsons Garrison and Grady, and loving great-uncle to his niece Kensley and nephew Landon.
Our Work
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center
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AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium
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University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
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MD Anderson Cancer Center – Local 31
MD Anderson Cancer Center – Local 31
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Levi Stadium – Local 8
Levi Stadium – Local 8
Read MoreIUEC History
From the rise of the first skyscrapers to the modern era of advanced vertical transportation, IUEC members have been at the center of the trade. Founded in 1901 to unify local unions and raise standards, the organization continues to protect the skill, safety, and livelihoods of elevator constructors across North America.
Explore the key moments that shaped our union and the industry.
