During 1940, President Roosevelt submits to Congress requests for over seven billion dollars and Congress approves them as the nation moves closer and closer to joining the Allies in the war against Fascist powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan. For the first time since prior to World War I, Local 103 is enjoying full employment. Most of the work is defense work. Future International Secretary, Joseph D. Keenan, who has just been appointed by President Roosevelt to the Was Preparedness Board, is working closely with the new International Vice-President, John Regan, to make sure Local 103 is getting defense work at the arsenal and navy yards. Joseph Keenan was Business Manager of Local 134 in Chicago. International President Dan Tracey stepped down to accept a call to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor and Ed J. Brown, a member of the Executive Council and Business Manager of Local 494, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, replaced him in July 1940 on a vote of the Executive Council.

The Local Union Press Secretary, William F. Sheehan, reported in March 1941 that Joseph Hurley, a charter signer, had passed away. He had been retired on an International Office pension for the past ten years. And Ellis Dennis, a former Business Agent and, until two years a half years ago, Executive Secretary of the State Board of Examiners also passed away. Both had served the Local faithfully over the past forty years. He also notes that there are many signs of better times at union meetings with members wearing new hats and overcoats, and that the smiling faces of the members last for a long stretch.

Business Manager Capelle went to work directly after his narrow election to attempt to bring the fixture industry into Local 103 membership by organizing manufacturing plants into maintainance shop agreements with the A.F. of L. and requesting members to only buy and install fixtures with Local 103 affiliated seals. President Jack Queeney, Financial Secretary William Doyle and Business Manager Capelle also were able to get a new agreement which went into effect December 1941, which provided for a wage increment to $1.65 an hour, and for the first time, a clause which remains to the present.

The average age of the membership in 1941 was 45 years of age and many old timers, who were waiting for age 65 to go out on the National pension, were hard pressed to find steady employment. At the time, the only so-called "seniority clause" Local 103 has ever had was instituted requiring one man in every five be 50 years of age or older. The rule would soon not be needed as numbers of young Local 103 men went off to war. Although changed many times over the years, it is the only seniority clause Local 103 members have ever felt the need of, and later we will see the effects of other seniority plans when referral plans had to be adapted in Local Unions with broad seniority clauses such as Local 134 in Chicago.