In the spring of 1981 the locals in Five River regained their right to elect the officers of the Council, and the internal affairs of 308 became more stable. During this year the carpenters completed a new building to house the District Council and an expanding apprenticeship training program. The union sold its old building in 1985 and began renting space from the District Council at the new building. Local 308's first woman member became Financial Secretary in 1982.

Soon after 308 recovered from the conflicts surrounding the District Council, an economic recession almost as severe as the Great Depression threatened the strength of Local 308. In 1980, the economy began to stagnate. The carpenters' wage increase slowed to .2% and in 1983 wages for carpenters in 308 actually declined by 17.5% from $16.39 per hour to $13.54. Unemployment also rose dramatically. An average of 200 members were so desperate for a job that they worked for as low a $5 per hour. It is no coincidence that 308's password for 1982 was "Recovery."

The leaders of 308 tried to provide some relief for carpenters and maintain its membership. For example, they allowed unemployed members to clean the hall once a month instead of paying one month's dues. Eventually, the economy began to improve and 308's membership and wages began to rise. After 1986, 308's membership rose steadily from 340 to 507 in 1996. In 1987, union carpenters wages had increased to their 1982 level, and between 1987-1999 wage increases averaged 3.8%.

The 1980's also brought permanent changes to the Five River District Council. In 1988 the UBCJ executive board decided once again to restructure the district councils in Iowa. In August 1988 the general office dissolved the Five River District Council. They directed the eastern Iowa Locals 308, 1260, 767, and 2158 to affiliate with the Northwest Illinois District Council to form the Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa District council. Local 308 was also given jurisdiction over Tama county. The executive board believed that a combined district would be more financially stable and allowed the general office more centralized control.

A number of members of 308 opposed the merger between Five River and Northwest Illinois. They believed that the merger diminished the local autonomy 308 had always fought to protect. Local 308 appealed the decision to consolidate, but the appeal was denied by the executive board. The District Council is still expanding. In December 1996 the Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa District Council became the Heartland District Council and now includes Des Moines and Sioux City. -BACK-NEXT-