Category: Labor Union
Primary Power Base: Industrial corridors, Bridgeport, South Loop, River wards
Reach: Citywide
Veil Involvement: Rumored  

Public Face

Local 1 presents itself as the iron spine of Chicago’s working class. Known for precision, danger, and brotherhood, their workers span the city’s bridges, skyscrapers, and steel frames. They run apprenticeship programs, maintain safety records, and lead Labor Day parades with their heads high.  

True Influence

They decide who gets to build, when, and how fast. Inspectors, foremen, and zoning committees all take their calls. Rumors swirl about “vanishing” projects that crossed them. They don’t need sabotage—just a work stoppage at the right time, in the right weather. Politicians tread lightly.  

Known Members

• Frankie “Rig” Valenti, Business Manager – Keeps the books and the grudges equally tight.
• Duane Colter, Steward – Quiet war vet, rumored to commune with rusted beams like they talk back.
• Nina Morelli, Organizer – Has more dirt on city inspectors than the press ever will.
• Hank “Hooks” O'Dell, Site Captain – Missing two fingers, got three strikes in him.
• “Brother Sam” – Name never listed, always shows up when something spiritual—or spectral—goes sideways on a job site.

 

Allies & Rivals

• Allies: Quinn Construction Co., CPD brass (unofficially), St. Joseph’s Iron Chapel (Bridgeport)
• Rivals: Bagels’ crews (over non-union labor), Teamsters 710 (turf overlap), Veil sanctifiers who push back on “haunted iron”

 

Assets & Quirks

• Asset: Access to structural plans for most city developments before they're public
• Quirks: Every member wears an iron token; some say they’re blessed—or cursed—to keep workers from “falling the wrong way.”

 

Current Agenda

Leverage an upcoming riverfront skyscraper deal to block non-union outfits and expand influence into East Pilsen. Some members are pushing for Veil-related site blessings to reduce fatality rates. Others think it’s drawing the wrong kind of attention.  

Rumors & Hooks

• Some girders on the old Union Yards flyover were inscribed with Veil glyphs—three workers died before they were sandblasted off.
• The ghost of a welder haunts the new Navy Pier extension. Local 1 keeps sending the same guy to “talk him down.”
• Frankie “Rig” was spotted meeting with a known necro-architect—why would a union man be talking to someone who builds with corpses?
• A bridge in Englewood is rusting in reverse. Veil residue is suspected. Local 1 wants it quiet.
• A beam arrived marked with sigils not found in any known Veil catalog. It’s being stored under lock and ward.
• One apprentice wakes up speaking in tongues. No one's removed him—yet.
• PCs might need access to restricted blueprints, and Local 1 can provide—for a favor.
• A project the crew is interested in keeps halting. Union politics or something darker?
• PCs get hired to protect a job site from “unseen threats.” Turns out, the iron itself hums at midnight.