District Council Charters

The Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America was organized formally in January, 1887. The first charter of The International Union, Local Union No. 1, was based in Baltimore, Maryland. By March 15^th, Local Union No. 1 chartered 15 more locals, from Pensacola, Florida, to Peoria, Illinois. Toronto, Canada also gained a charter, making the new union a true “International.”

Within the first year, the union boasted a membership of over 7,000 tradesmen and more than 100 local unions. By the 1900’s, the Brotherhood had created charters in many major cities around the country, including Chicago, Lafayette, Syracuse, New York, Pittsburg, and St. Louis. Since then, IUPAT has chartered hundreds of local unions in the United States and Canada.

PDC 30 was chartered by the International Brotherhood in 1925. Our charter allows our members to unite with others across the country, and even internationally, in order to fight for a common goal. Members from each local can easily contact the elected officials of their district council to use their voice. Union workers and their families can join together to gain respect from employers, from the labor union, and from the community at large.

Now, PDC 30 comprises nine local unions within our jurisdiction.These Locals allow PDC 30 to fulfill the need of a wider range of workers. By allocating a council representative to each local, members can rest assured that their jobs and benefits won’t be forgotten.

AFL-CIO

The American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions, was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. The AFL’s first president was Samuel Gompers, who held the position until 1924. Gompers promoted harmony among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL. Focused on higher wages and job security, the AFL fought against socialism and the Socialist party.

In 1935, John J. Lewis led a group of seven industrial unions to break away and form the Congress for Industrial Organization (CIO). The CIO was a radical union that was often equated with a communist, socialist agenda.

The two federations competed for new members and, consequently, control over the next 20 years. Lewis attempted to organize workers in the new mass production industries. Gompers enthusiastically supported the war effort during the First World War and saw rapid growth in union membership and wage rates because of it.

In 1955, both federations merged to settle the long estrangement. The American Federation of Labor-Congress for Industrial Organizations—or, AFL-CIO—was created, and today it is one of the largest federations of unions in the United States.

Today, the voluntary federation is comprised of 57 national and international labor unions. The AFL-CIO union movement represents 12.2 million members, including everything from painters and plumbers, to nurses, firefighters, and farmers.

In 2009, delegates of the AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention elected Richard Trumka as President and Liz Shuler as Secretary-Treasurer.

AFL-CIO’s mission is to bring social and economic justice to the nation by enabling working people to have a voice on the job, in government, in their communities, and in a changing global economy. AFL-CIO aims to not only build, but change the American labor movement from what it has been in the past.

They aim to build a broad movement of American workers by organizing workers into the unions, building a strong political voice for workers in our nation, changing our unions to provide a new voice to workers in a changing economy, and changing our labor movement by creating a new voice for workers in our communities. The AFL-CIO’s member unions represent nearly all unionized workers in the United States, IUPAT/PDC included.

To learn more, visit their website.

The International Union

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, formally known as The Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America, was founded in 1887 by John T. “Jack” Elliot. His hope was to create a union broad enough to embrace every competent painter and decorator in America—one that would protect every worker in their labor and in their wages. Elliot argued that unions stood a chance of survival only when they took in skilled workers of a particular trade who could not be easily replaced. Elliot believed in a strict apprentice system that would uphold a minimum skill level and control entry into the trade. He also wanted a system of benefits that would bind members’ interests more closely with the Union’s.

IUPAT set standards for uniform compensation in the trades and provided a community for workers to share ideas and solve problems. The Union represents around 160,000 painters, glaziers, wall coverers, decorators, and drywall finishers in the United States and Canada. District Council 30 has been a charter of the International Union since 1925.

Backed by a growing centralized union, these dedicated organizers won victories over oppressive working conditions that were once thought unchangeable. By 1918, the Painters Union successfully established the eight-hour day and a five-day workweek.

In recent years, IUPAT has begun an aggressive program of organizing workers and educating members about everything from workplace safety to new technology and techniques to use on the job. IUPAT has stepped up its efforts to help working families by becoming active in the political arena. Our Union continues to reach out to communities and people in need.

IUPAT members’ skills are largely in demand at every construction project in the nation—and they have the best job opportunities. These men and women enjoy a sense of belonging, earn a valuable wage, and work in a safe environment, which brings constant improvement to their lives.

But IUPAT isn’t just about the workplace. It is recognized as one of the most active unions in the labor movement. IUPAT members are given the opportunity to shape their communities through fighting for rights of union workers and their families, insistent political mobilization, and public service.

Contact IUPAT

Visit their website