Together we can.

Represents a growing force of over 160,000 active and retired men and  women in the United States and Canada. 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 and aggressive  political mobilization.

 Our union, like many modern labor unions, was founded in the 19th  century to set standards for uniform compensation in the trades and  provide a community for workers to share ideas and solve problems. The  Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America was organized formally  in 1887. Within a year, the union boasted a membership of over 7,000  tradesmen and more than 100 local unions. These trade unionists soon  realized the power that they had together, rather than staying separate  and facing their problems alone. Backed by a growing centralized union,  these dedicated organizers won victories over oppressive working  conditions that were once thought unchangeable. 

Today, the IUPAT  continues to do its part to lift working families and the rest of the  middle class by marching to the words of our founders:“Single-handed we  can accomplish nothing; but united there is no power of wrong we may not  openly defy.”Learn more about the history of the International Union of  Painters and Allied Trades below.