Amid an era of wage stagnation, diminishing worker protections, growing income inequality, and a general sense that the deck is stacked against the middle class, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) will convene in Las Vegas on August 12-15. With the convention theme "We Are Union," the IUPAT will galvanize union workers in a fight for what every working family in the 21st century needs: livable wages, decent benefits, safe and healthy work sites, and collaborative and respectful workplaces.
The convention will provide a “from the front lines” look at what the IUPAT is doing to mobilize and educate its 110,000 members on fighting back and standing up for what workers need, especially important in the run-up to the 2020 election.
IUPAT represents painters, glaziers, wall coverers, flooring installers, convention and trade show decorators, glassworkers, sign and display workers, asbestos worker/hazmat technicians and drywall finishers in the United States and Canada.
“IUPAT is leading the fight for high-quality workplaces where workers have a voice, respect and dignity. At the same time, we are vigorously standing up to continued attacks on labor by the White House, members of Congress and the judiciary,” said IUPAT General President Kenneth Rigmaiden.
Speakers at the convention will include Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak; Stacey Abrams, recent Georgia gubernatorial candidate and head of the National Fair Fight Campaign; AFL-CIO leaders and several international labor union presidents.
WHAT: IUPAT 32nd General Convention
WHEN: Aug. 12-15
WHERE: Octavius Ballroom, Caesars Palace Hotel, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV
For Planning Purposes Only, details subject to change:
Mult boxes, risers and power will be provided in Press Boxes.
Press Room: Available Monday, August 12-Thursday, August 15. Please contact John Doherty jdoherty@iupat.org for details about press room and amenities.
SPEAKERS:
Monday, Aug. 12
9:15 a.m. - Gov. Steve Sisolak will discuss labor-friendly wins in Nevada and elsewhere, such as prevailing wage laws.
1:10 p.m. - AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will discuss the war on workers.
1:50 p.m. - Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME, will discuss the effect of the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision.
Tuesday, Aug. 13
9:10 a.m. - AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will speak about the effects of the gig economy on the labor movement.
10:25 a.m. - KEYNOTE SPEECH: General President Kenneth Rigmaiden
1:15 p.m. - Sean McGarvey, president of the North America’s Building Trades Unions, will talk about new technologies that lower energy, infrastructure and attacks to labor in Washington.
2 p.m. - Stacey Abrams will discuss her National Fair Fight Campaign that seeks to end the systemic exclusion of voters via voter ID and closing poll locations.
Wednesday, Aug. 14
9:15 a.m. - Terry Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, will speak about inclusion, vocational schools and partnerships and pipelines.
9:30 a.m. - D. Taylor, president of Unite HERE, will speak about collective action
1:15 p.m. - James Boland, president of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers, will speak about immigration.
Thursday, Aug. 15
9:10 a.m. - Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, will discuss collective action and the fight around pensions.
10:10 a.m. - Bob Chalker, CEO of NACE International, will discuss certifications and raising standards in the building trades industry.
11 a.m. - Paul Tsouris, co-chair of the Labor-Management Partnership, will discuss the partnership between IUPAT and signatory contractors.
11:20 a.m. - Arlene Dunn, director of Canada's Building Trades Unions, will discuss women in the trades and opioid prevention.
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THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES (IUPAT)
Represents a growing community of over 110,000 active and retired craftspeople in the United States and Canada. The IUPAT membership extends far beyond the workplace.
Recognized as one of the most active unions in the labor movement, IUPAT members help shape their communities in many ways: through an abiding commitment to service, by fighting passionately for workers’ rights that benefit all working families, and through effective worker education and mobilization.
Learn more at www.IUPAT.org
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