The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. We've been fighting for working people since 1887 and represent 140,000 workers across skilled trades.
As we approach our General Convention, we reflect on each and every one of our members who have shaped the IUPAT into the strong and fighting union that we are today.
For over 137 years, our members' commitments and our union's collective efforts have ignited a force of change
Right-to-work originated in the 1940s as a way to maintain Jim Crow in the South.
By passing the PRO Act, we could override right-to-work laws all across the country all at once.
Let’s put right-to-work for less into the dustbin of history where it belongs once and for all.
Here’s what The New York Times had to say in 1886 right before The Haymarket Riot took place: “Strikes to enforce the demand for eight hours’ work a day may do much to paralyze industry, depress business and check the reviving prosperity of the country, but they cannot succeed.”
The extremists on the Supreme Court who don't believe in reproductive rights also don't believe in the most basic labor rights.
These reactionary attacks on our rights won't stop here.
We must stand up, fight back and hold the line for all of us.
This week Michigan became the first state in nearly 60 years to repeal its right-to-work law!
Let’s repeal these anti-worker laws across the country just like Michigan did!
Labor Day was established in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland as a concession to the labor movement days after he used federal troops to bloodily crush the Pullman railroad strike.
Today, our union is joining the widespread call to demand an end to the filibuster in the Senate.
After the House passage of the PRO Act last night, the time is now for the Senate to stop hiding behind arcane rules that has prevented pro-worker legislation for decades.
Right-to-work laws originated in the 1940s as a way to maintain Jim Crow in the South.
The PRO Act would eliminate all these laws which keep workers divided and weak all across the country, all at once.
An attack against one of us in the labor movement is an attack on all of us in the labor movement.
Solidarity with
@APWUnational
@NALC_National
and all postal workers.
The bosses have been rolling back our labor rights for nearly 100 years.
And for decades, politicians have offered little but empty promises.
It’s time to find out which side they’re on, beginning with passing the PRO Act.
Markwayne Mullin was born on third base with a business handed to him and thinks he hit a triple 😂
It's about damn time we stand up to these crooked politicians who want to keep us down
"One of the earlier speakers said, "This is the most dramatic changes in labor law in 80 years." And I say, "Thank God!" -
@reptimryan
We agree! It's time to pass the PRO Act.
There are no "both sides" around Jim Crow policies.
"Right to work" belongs in the dustbin of history along with the rest of Jim Crow. We're fighting to pass the PRO Act because labor rights are civil rights.
As Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence signed the repeal of prevailing wage. As a result, wages for construction industry workers statewide fell 8.5% with the lowest-paid workers seeing their paychecks cut by 15%.
Americans have more stolen from wage theft by employers each year than robbery, larceny and car theft combined.
In fact, wage theft is so pervasive in our country that at least $16 billion a year is being stolen from workers.
The surest sign you definitely need a union at your workplace is seeing how hard your employer will fight to convince you that you don't need a union in your workplace.
Children account for 2 out of every 5 civilian deaths in Gaza, surpassing the total number killed across all the world’s conflict zones in any year since 2019, said Save the Children. Families are mourning what feels like the loss of an entire generation.
"I'm asking that you think about the working people—the people that help build this country—and not worry about bailing out the banks."
Sen. McConnell introduced a bill that does nothing for the
#COVID19
crisis for workers.
#WorkersFirst
means we don't need a corporate bailout.
@GoIUPAT
and millions of Americans who benefit from tried and true Registered Apprenticeships Thank
@BernieSanders
for his leadership in standing with workers on issues that matter!
#SaveUSApprenticeships
The IRAP proposal being pushed by Mick Mulvaney is a disaster. I stand with
@TheIronworkers
,
@IUBAC
,
@GoIUPAT
& other
@NABTU
unions fighting for good, high-quality apprenticeships for workers. I encourage everyone to submit a comment opposing IRAP here:
What a difference a few months can make!
After months of saying the PRO Act's passage is unlikely, the Chamber of Commerce this morning: "The PRO Act has a very real chance of becoming law."
We can win this fight!
There's no freedom of speech in the workplace when 54% of Americans say they're threatened with loss of their job if they're supportive of union drives.
There's no freedom of association when 1 in 5 Americans who attempt to unionize are fired by employers for doing so.
"I feel like growing up, they always try to push you to go to college. No one ever talks to you about trades. I was always told if I didn't go to college, I wasn't going to get a good job. But I mean, here I am. I'm making just as much, if not more, and I have no student debt."
The US labor movement is united in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and a lasting peace and self determination for everyone in the region.
Unions are pivotal to society's broader democracy.
Unions give workers a voice and power to take on the issues that matter most to them day in and day out at their workplaces. Together, we make decisions every day that shape our collective future.
Wherever so-called "right-to-work" laws exist, wages are lower, benefits are worse, jobsite safety and workers protections are poor, and workers freedom is nearly non-existent.
The PRO Act would override all right-to-work laws all across the country, all at once. Let's do it.
.
@POTUS
knows the importance of unions. That’s why he joined the UAW picket line yesterday.
Right now, unions across the country continue to stand up and advocate for the rights of working Americans — and they deserve our support. This week’s WGA deal is an example of what’s
Our union is so proud to walk the picket line and stand with
@sagaftra
outside Walt Disney Studios today.
Your fight is our fight and we’ll stand with you until victory!
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is proud to endorse
@KamalaHarris
as the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States!
Read our full statement here ⤵️
Take two minutes to experience what it's like to be a worker in our country who wants to form a union.
This is why we must pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
As workers attempt to form a union at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, Amazon is texting workers 5 times a day, leading mandatory anti-union meetings and even telling workers how to vote in the bathroom.
Amazon’s anti-union blitz stalks workers everywhere, even this bathroom stall in its Bessemer, Ala. warehouse, in what has emerged as the biggest labor battle in its history on U.S. soil -
How one-sided and broken is our labor law?
The Amazon election was like the voting location being at one candidate's headquarters, who also forces voters to attend mandatory persuasion meetings, fires known opponents, and threatens their livelihoods.
Support for unions polls the highest with Americans under 35, yet the majority of young Americans don’t have one. We must give the young people of our country a chance to reap the benefits of unions by passing the PRO Act, which makes it easier to form & join them.
There's no real freedom of speech in the workplace when more than half of American workers say they're threatened with the loss of their job if they're vocal about supporting unionization.
Everything the labor movement has ever won seemed impossible it was done.
Our labor rights were never given to us as an act of charity, they were won by organized workers.
When workers stand together, anything is possible.
When the number of Americans who were collectively bargaining was at its highest, the share of national income going to the richest 10% was at its lowest and the share going to the 90% was the highest.
The weekend, clearly defined work weeks, paid vacation, family leave and pensions were never given to us as acts of charity, they were achieved through the struggle and sacrifice of organized workers who demanded more and won.
If Joe Biden does win the presidency, which seems very likely, we must immediately pivot towards mobilizing the labor movement to ensure the passage of his campaign pledges.
He told our members he would be the "most pro union president ever" and we should expect nothing less.
The underground economy in the construction industry is predicated on the exploitation of immigrant workers.
Our union is organizing to put an end to these rampant abuses by employers in Arizona and all across the country.
Right-to-work laws originated as a way to divide Black and white workers and maintain Jim Crow.
They're still fundamentally racist today and exist to keep workers divided and weak.
We all must support
@ewarren
's bill that would ban right-to-work laws nationwide.
The bosses and large corporations have unions of their own where they come together to defend their common interests.
It's only when workers attempt to come together to form their own unions around their common interests that all the stops come out to prevent unionism.
The PRO Act removes prohibitions on secondary strikes, prohibits employers from permanently replacing striking workers, and bans the use of proactive lockouts by employers.
Simply put, it would transform the power of workers all across the United States.
134 years ago today, our union banded together around a shared sense of solidarity even when it seemed impossible.
We transformed not just our own lives, but the lives of our families and our communities too.
Come build the future with us -
Our anti-union opponents like the Associated Builders and Contractors and The National Right to Work Committee have been sounding nervous about the PRO Act.
They know it will ban right-to-work nationwide and would dramatically grow workers’ power on the job.
Let's do it.
Our union will not offer any financial or organizational support to politicians who don’t support the PRO Act.
It's simple: Are you on the side of workers and the largest expansion of labor rights in nearly a century or not?
Major news.
New AFL-CIO President
@lizshuler
says that unions will consider pulling financial support and even primary challenges to Democrats who don't back the Richard L. Trumka PRO Act or support ending the filibuster, particularly
@KyrstenSinema
.
When our union was first founded, it was expected most painters would die from the trade, particularly due to painter's colic.
Thanks to our union's efforts to ensure regulation and safety in the trades, countless thousands of lives have been saved.
#WorkersMemorialDay
When our union was founded, it was expected most painters would die from the trade, particularly due to lead poisoning known as painter's colic.
Thanks to our union's efforts to ensure regulation and safety, countless thousands of lives have been saved.
Our union is proud to support our
@UAW
brothers and sisters in their monumental strike against the Big 3 automakers.
This strike is a defining moment for the entire American labor movement - it’s a fight for fairness - and it’s a strike we can and will win.
Today is our union's 135th birthday!
Throughout our history, we've provided security for millions of working families & organize every day to ensure the opportunities of our skilled trades benefit as many people as possible.
Join our fight & come build the future with us!
After weeks of escalating strike action, our
@IUPATLocal10
won a life-changing contract for 440 of our union brothers and sisters with raises that were 18x more than the initial offer.
That's the power of collective action and our union.
Water keeps the world running, just as workers do. Water and jobs are inextricably linked.
When we invest in water infrastructure, we invest in our communities and create thousands of good-paying jobs that provide long-lasting stability.
Here's all you need to know about the Protecting the Right to Organize Act...
All the organizations that exist to protect the interests of corporations and the super rich are opposed to it.
All the organizations that exist to protect the interests of workers are in favor of it.
Our labor laws are so broken today that employers break the law during nearly half of organizing drives because they know that breaking labor law is always cheaper than allowing workers to organize.
This is why we must pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
Wherever so-called "right-to-work" laws exist, wages are lower, benefits are worse, jobsite safety and workers protections are poor, and workers freedom is nearly non-existent.
Worker misclassification is the single biggest threat to the construction industry. There is no compromise with our fundamental rights to organize and to collectively bargain.
New: After years of mostly unsuccessful efforts, Uber, Lyft and peers are poised to secure deals with major unions, just in time to help defuse threats from the new Biden Administration
My feature in the next
@BW
, based on 50 interviews since the election
54% of American workers say they're threatened with job loss if they vote to unionize.
40% of the time during union elections, employers break the law.
20% of workers who engage in union organizing are fired.
This is why we need labor law reform. This is why we need the PRO Act.
.
@SpeakerPelosi
&
@senatemajldr
these are hard choices that no worker should EVER have to make.
"My wife has 3 types of cancer and her immune system is compromised. I have a decision whether I go to work and take a chance of bringing the virus home. Or I stay laid off."
#COVID
Happy May Day!
Take two minutes this morning to experience what it's like to be a worker in our country who wants to form a union.
This is why we must fight to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
Unions are essential to society's wider democracy.
Being in a union gives you a voice and the ability to shape policies that most directly impact you, your families and communities every single day.
American workers have been told to wait for decades for labor law reform. We are done waiting.
The time is now to end the filibuster and finally expand the rights of the working class for the first time in nearly a century.
At a time when nearly every university in our country has a business & management school, yet so few universities have a labor school, it’s critical that we teach labor history and tell our story.
Nearly every university in our country has a business and management school, yet very few universities have a labor school. We must teach our history and tell our own story.
@GoIUPAT
I remember working for Target and watching an anti-union propaganda video telling us to report any suspected organizers to management.
Intimidation tactics start from Day 1.
We are saddened by today's flagrant attack on our democracy. The attempted coup has been instigated by too many Republican politicians, namely
@realDonaldTrump
. (1/2)
Our union has helped to build many Hollywood studios like Disney and Netflix.
The fight of
@sagaftra
@WGAWest
@WGAEast
is our fight and we're going to stand with you on picket lines nationwide until you achieve victory!
Today,
@PeteButtigieg
and DC 91 had fruitful discussions abt issues that matter, like the threat of IRAPs to our apprenticeships. The visit was one of many as we gear up for our Convention. Thanks for visiting; we hope our issues stay on your agenda!
#SaveUnionApprenticeships
In 1920, IUPAT Local 1332 was founded by Black craftsmen in Chicago with the specific intent to confront discriminatory practices and challenges facing Black workers in our trades.
Local 1332 elected the first Black leadership in our union and still proudly exists today.
The alliance we've formed around our PRO Act campaign bucks long-held wisdom and has brought the climate movement and labor movement together.
We are combining our strength to make sure green jobs are good-paying union jobs.