IUOE LOCAL 18 SCHOLARSHIP OFFERINGS FOR ’26-’27 SURPASS $5 MILLION
“Membership has its privileges” isn’t just a long-past advertising slogan. For International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 18, part of “membership” in 2026 is in the form of more than $5 million in scholarship opportunities.
While American Express made the slogan famous for its card-carrying members in the mid-1980s, IUOE Local 18 cardholders – or those members enrolled in its Health and Welfare Program – are enjoying the privilege of a record total in financial assistance for education and training.
The IUOE Local 18 is a more-than-17,000-member-strong labor union representing operating and stationary engineers in 89 Ohio and Northern Kentucky counties.
This year, according to Fund Administrator Carol Wilson, the IUOE Local 18 Education & Safety (E&S) Affairs Committee awarded 1,026 scholarships totaling $5.1 million – which included “Regular” and “Industry-Related” scholarships as well as a doubling in the amount available for “Special Dependent Scholarships.”
While Local 18’s regular and industry-related scholarships benefit operating engineers, their spouses and dependents, the Special Dependent Scholarships – of which 10, $10,000 endowments were awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year – are specifically for children of Local 18 members interested in pursuing a degree in a construction-related field.
“One of the most-significant recent changes was the creation of these larger individual $10,000 industry-related awards,” said IUOE Local 18 Business Manager Michael Bertolone. “We wanted to take the scholarship program a step further and identify students pursuing degrees that have a meaningful connection to our industry.
“By providing 10, $10,000 awards, we are making a significant investment in individuals who could ultimately contribute to the future of construction, engineering, infrastructure and the industries our members work in every day,” added Bertolone, a 23-year Local 18 member and graduate of the Local 18 Apprenticeship Program.
IUOE Local 18 President Thomas Byers, who also graduated from the Local 18 Apprenticeship Program and has assisted in leading the organization for the past 11 years, is proud of the Special Dependent Scholarships’ increased offerings. “We usually award five Special Dependent Scholarships; this year, we awarded 10 …,” said the 33-year Local 18 member, “It’s a fringe benefit paid by Local 18 members to further the education of other Local 18 members and their families. It’s the right thing to do …”
Jason Baker, a 22-year Local 18 member who has chaired its Education & Safety Committee Fund the past three years, said the funding of scholarships is an IUOE Local 18 member-wide effort. “Part of our fringe package has an E&S Fund of 9 cents. So every hour that our members work, under most of our agreements, have our Health & Welfare Benefits attached to them, so they are paying in 9 cents. (For example) when I work 40 hours, 9 cents an hour goes into the pot … The more work hours, the more money you have coming in and the more you have going out.”
“I think one of the things we sometimes overlook when talking about union membership is the full value that comes with belonging to an organization like Local 18,” said Bertolone. “Obviously, wages, healthcare, pensions and working conditions are extremely important, but being a union member is about more than what appears in a paycheck. Programs like our scholarship benefit are an example of that broader commitment. We want our members to build successful careers, but we also want their spouses and children to have opportunities to succeed.”
In 2026, the money offered for IUOE Local 18 training and further education totaled $5.1 million – which included:
- 854 Regular Scholarships of up to $5,000 that Local 18 members, spouses and dependents can use for college, adult education and vocational classes for non-industry related studies/training. So, if a member or spouse wants to take coursework in business, accounting or other areas, they can utilize these Regular Scholarships
- 172 Industry-Related Scholarships of up to $8,000 for members, spouses and dependents to use for coursework/training in construction-related areas such as civil engineering, construction management, diesel mechanics, etc.
- 10 Special Dependent Scholarships of up to $10,000 awarded to members’ children/dependents going into the construction industry.
Wilson, who has worked with Local 18 for 41 years, said, “Not everyone uses the money, but we typically pay out anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million of what is awarded every year.”
Bertolone hopes more IUOE Local 18 members take “full advantage” of the group’s scholarship program – which include OCA members. “This is a tremendous benefit, and unfortunately, there are still members and families who either forget that it exists or simply are not aware of everything that is available to them,” he said. “We occasionally hear from members after they, their spouse or their dependent has already completed a qualifying course, college class or certification and then discover that scholarship assistance may have been available to them. We hate seeing anyone miss an opportunity like that … We encourage our members to stay involved with their union and understand all the benefits they have earned as union members. The Local 18 Scholarship Program is certainly near the top of that list.”
These training and scholarship opportunities are available to IUOE Local 18 members employed at OCA member companies, as Baker urges company leaders to help get the word out. “I would ask them to talk to their members that are Operators in the first quarter of every year and let them know that this scholarship is available for Operating Engineer Local 18 members and their dependents.”
Requirements for IUOE Local 18 scholarships, among other requisites, are that union members be enrolled and in good standing in the group’s medical plan. Wilson said that in addition to the Health and Welfare Plan enrollment requirement, recipients must be high school graduates and under the age of 25 if it is a dependent that is receiving the scholarship.
The awarding of Special Dependent Scholarships – which have been given since 2013 – include additional application requirements. “If we get an application from a dependent child who is going into a construction-related field, we send them a letter letting them know they have the opportunity to write an essay in order to be considered for a Special Dependent award,” said Wilson, who added that essay topics range from who were influential to the applicants; what their relation is with Local 18; career goals their striving for; and more.
According to Baker, the essays are reviewed and selected by the six-member E&S Committee – which includes IUOE Local 18 union and management trustees. “We have had multiple kids that have applied multiple years and gotten the Special scholarships,” he added. This year’s Special Dependent Scholarship recipients are working toward obtaining degrees in civil engineering, construction management, mechanical engineering and power and hydraulics engineering.
“It takes a partnership between management and skilled labor to make any good construction contractor,” said Baker of the philosophy behind the IUOE Local 18’s awarding of Special Dependent Scholarships. “We feel that we are investing in our next leaders that are going to run contracting companies for the next 40 years. So, by investing back into both apprenticeship training and these scholarships, we’re investing in our next leaders – and that’s a good partnership.”