Past and current members of Local 308 remember the years between 1970 and 1982 as "boom years." Jobs were plentiful and wages more than tripled from $5.49 in 1969 to 16.52 by 1982. Even the wage controls the Nixon administration implemented in 1971 did not hamper the rising wages of Cedar Rapids carpenters. Increased construction, a tight labor market, and inflation were partly responsible for the wage raises. They were also a result of the seventy years Cedar Rapids carpenters spent fighting to improve working conditions and building their union. Carpenters from Cedar Rapids recognized the historic role the union played in securing them a decent wage, and membership reached an all time high in 1979 of 722 members.

Though 308 gained members during the seventies, its overall growth was modest. To increase membership, the leaders of 308 began to strengthen its apprenticeship programs. Throughout the seventies 308 brought young carpenters into its Joint Apprenticeship Program and participated in local and state wide apprenticeship contests.

Strong apprenticeship programs not only helped strengthen the union but also gained Cedar Rapids carpenters a reputation as among the most skilled in the state.

Local 308 also participated in the Coordinated Housing Organizing Program (CHOP) to fight the increase in non-union housing construction. In 1974 the Local passed a $1 per month assessment for CHOP, allowed organizers to write and accept applications in the field and authorized the state and district council to establish a collective bargaining agreement for the local under the CHOP program.

Many rank and file members of 308, however, were as concerned about their diminished control over the internal affairs of the union as they were about declining membership. In the fall of 1968, 308 was directed to merge with the South East Iowa District Council. In December 1973, the UBCJ executive board merged the SE Iowa District with the Eastern Iowa District to form the Five River District Council that included Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Ottawa and Davenport. This trend toward limiting local autonomy culminated in 1974 when a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the national union authority to "establish, dissolve, and determine the geographical jurisdictions of local unions and district councils." The members of Local 308, however, refused to concede their right to rank and file control over union affairs and were militant in their defense of local autonomy.

The rank and file became increasingly concerned about the centralization of power on April 1, 1974 after Locals 308, 767, 1260, and 2158 formed the Five River District Council. The general office gave the Council the "executive powers to negotiate contracts and handle all matters relating to the general interest and welfare of the local unions and their members." The national and executive officers argued that the formation of the District Council would benefit both the carpenters and the contractors. Consolidation would provide opportunity for better training of men, improve the union's ability to supply men, allow carpenters to move within jurisdictional boundaries unrestricted, and help the UBCJ negotiate higher uniform wage rates.

Local 308's rank and file did not object in principal to the idea of a District Council, and they understood its potential benefits. However, the members of 308 did object to their lack of democratic control over the finances and decisions of the Council. Local 308 lent Five River $10,000, and the members paid $10 per member per month to the Council until a percentage check-off was passed to fund the district. However, the Council kept assessing members the $10 even after the general office instituted a 2% check-off. Many members of 308 also claimed the officers of Five River were mismanaging the funds.

The rank and file of 308 decided to take action to restore their control over the affairs and finances of their local. In the months following the creation of Five River, several rank and file leaders organized meetings involving hundreds of carpenters about the Five River issue. On September 16, 1974 this rank and file group made its mandate clear at a special meeting attended by hundreds of 308 carpenters and several general officers. The members successfully reduced the per cap to Five River from $10 to $8, but they were unable to force the general office to rescind the 2%. According to several members of Local 308 who were active during the 1970's, the controversy over the 2% check-off weakened the strength of the carpenters union in Cedar Rapids. Some members refused to sign authorization cards for the 2% and were dropped from membership and others just resigned from the Local. A number of these carpenters began to work for non-union house contractors and by the mid-1970s, 308 lost the remaining house building to non-union contractors.

Two years after the rank and file warned the general office about the leaders and functioning of Five River, the Council finally faced reform. In the fall of 1976 a committee was formed to investigate the affairs of Five River. After the investigation uncovered patterns of illegal use of funds, the national placed the Five River under supervision.
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