IUPAT Announces New Executive Board Members

On August 1, 2021, the general executive board of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) voted unanimously to elect a new executive board with Jimmy Williams Jr. as the organization’s new general president. Gregg Smith will serve as the new general secretary-treasurer. This comes after the retirement of general president Ken Rigmaiden and general secretary-treasurer George Galis on August 31.

According to a press release, Williams Jr. enters as the youngest general president in IUPAT’s history, the youngest president of any building trades union in the U.S., and the youngest among unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Williams began his career with the IUPAT in 1998 as a glazier with District Council 21 in Philadelphia before becoming organizing director and general vice president.

The incoming general secretary-treasurer, Smith, is a fourth-generation painter and 29-year member of the union.