District Council 16

What District Council 16 does

District Council 16 is a regional labor union and affiliate of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and the AFL-CIO, representing approximately 12,000 professional finishers across Northern California and Nevada. It functions as an umbrella body coordinating 20 local unions, an Apprenticeship and Training Trust Fund, and trust plan administration across seven geographic regions. Its membership base is composed of painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor coverers, and other allied specialty trades, served by a staff of roughly 44 employees under Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Robert A. Williams III, with James Hewett as Vice President and James Boster as Director of Mental Health & Addiction. The organization coordinates political action with the California State Building and Construction Trades Council and the California AFL-CIO.

Core offerings span collective bargaining with signatory contractors, apprenticeship and craft training (including the STAR program), administration of health, welfare, pension, and annuity benefit plans, member-assistance services such as the Helping Hands behavioral-health program, scholarship funding through the Walter Cantrell Scholarship, and digital member tooling via the IUPAT Mobile Member Portal. The operating model is membership-funded: regular per-capita member dues constitute primary revenue, supplemented by training-trust and apprenticeship-related assessments.

The business model is not equity-style value capture but membership service delivery and labor-market intermediation: members receive bargaining representation, benefits, training, and welfare support; signatory contractors gain access to a credentialed, trained workforce. Governance is vested in elected and retained union leadership, with strategic coordination provided through the IUPAT and broader AFL-CIO federation structure.

Name

District Council 16

Legal name

District Council 16 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

Website

https://dc16iupat.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

District Council 16 is an IUPAT/AFL-CIO affiliate labor union representing 12,000+ painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor coverers, and specialty craft workers across Northern California and Nevada through 20 local unions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Livermore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: DC16 generates revenue through monthly or quarterly membership dues paid by members. Dues can be paid online through the IUPAT Mobile Member Portal or by check/money order sent to 2705 Constitution Drive, Livermore, CA 94551.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

District Council 16 is a labor union that represents professional finishers (painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor coverers, and specialty craft workers) across Northern California and Nevada. It delivers union membership with collectively bargained wages and benefits, apprenticeship training programs, and workforce dispatch services to signatory contractors through 20 Local Unions. Supplementary offerings include the STAR incentive-based safety training program, the Helping Hands member support program for mental health and addiction, and the Walter Cantrell Scholarship for members' dependents.

Product overview

District Council 16 IUPAT is a labor union serving as an affiliate of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. The organization operates as a unified union platform offering membership for Professional Finishers across five craft trades: Painters, Drywall Finishers, Glaziers, Floor Coverers, and Specialty Crafts. The union's core offering is membership with collectively negotiated agreements, complemented by supplementary programs including the STAR (Safety Training Awards Recognition) training program, DC16 Apprenticeship Program for earn-while-you-learn career development, the Helping Hands mental health and addiction support program, and the Walter Cantrell Scholarship for members' dependents. The organization also provides the IUPAT Mobile Member Portal for digital membership management. DC16 serves 20 Local Unions across Northern California and Nevada with approximately 12,000 Professional Finishers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STAR Program: Safety Training Awards Recognition program offering incentive-based training and certifications for members
• Helping Hands
• IUPAT Mobile Member Portal

Products and services

• DC16 IUPAT Union Membership Core membership product for Professional Finishers — Painters, Drywall Finishers, Glaziers, Floor Coverers, and Specialty Craft Workers — providing collectively bargained wages, health/welfare/pension benefits, workplace representation, and access to training and apprenticeship across Northern California and Nevada.
• STAR Program (Safety Training Awards Recognition) Safety Training Awards Recognition program offering incentive-based training, certifications, and professional development tools for journeyworkers and apprentices in DC16's five finishing trades (drywall, floor covering, glazing, painting, specialty crafts).
• DC16 Apprenticeship Program Earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship training programs for Drywall Finishers, Floor Coverers, Glaziers, Painters, and Specialty Crafts, providing structured on-the-job training and classroom instruction leading to journeyworker status.
• Helping Hands Program Member support program providing training, education, and resources for DC16 members and their families dealing with substance use disorder, alcoholism, and mental health challenges, including recovery-oriented programming and peer support.
• IUPAT Mobile Member Portal Mobile application (iOS and Android) and integrated web portal that enables members to manage union membership, pay monthly/quarterly/annual dues, set up AutoPay, access electronic dues cards, and communicate with DC16 staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 members and families attended the STAR Awards Event

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Northern California Glass Management Association (NCGMA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCGMA is a signatory contractor association representing glazing contractors in Northern California. DC16 works with NCGMA to provide trained glazier workforce to member contractors.
• Northern California Painting & Finishing Contractors (NCPFC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCPFC represents painting and finishing contractors in Northern California. DC16 provides workforce connections and labor relations support through this partnership.
• Wall and Ceiling Alliance (WACA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWACA represents drywall and ceiling contractors. DC16 provides trained drywall finisher workforce to WACA member contractors.
• Northern California Floor Covering Association (NCFCA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCFCA represents floor covering contractors in Northern California. DC16 connects member floor covering workers with NCFCA contractors.
• Painting & Decorating Contractors Association of Sacramento (PDCA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPDCA Sacramento chapter represents painting contractors in the Sacramento region. Partnership facilitates workforce dispatch and contract negotiations.
• Western Wall & Ceiling Contractors Association (WWCCA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWWCCA represents wall and ceiling contractors in California. DC16 provides trained workforce through collective bargaining agreements.
• Painting & Decorating Contractors Association of Las VegascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPDCA Las Vegas represents painting contractors in Southern Nevada. Partnership enables workforce dispatch and labor negotiations for the region.
• Southern Nevada Glazing AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouthern Nevada Glazing Association represents glazing contractors in the Las Vegas region. DC16 provides trained glazier workforce through this partnership.
• DC16 Health and Welfare Trust FundcoreOthersThird-party administrator managing health and welfare benefits for DC16 members in Northern California and Nevada.
• Northern California Glaziers, Architectural, Metal & Glass Workers Pension Trust FundcoreOthersPension trust fund managed by third-party administrators for glazier members in Northern California.
• Resilient Floor Covering FundcoreOthersTrust fund for resilient floor covering workers providing benefits administration.
• DC16 Bay Area Painters & Tapers Pension Trust FundcoreOthersPension trust fund for painters and tapers in the Bay Area, managed by third-party administrators.
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDC16 is an affiliate of IUPAT, AFL-CIO. The parent international union provides constitution, governance, and support services.
• AFL-CIOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDC16 is affiliated with AFL-CIO through IUPAT, participating in state labor federation activities including California AFL-CIO COPE Convention.
• California AFL-CIOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState labor federation representing unions in California. DC16 participates in COPE (Committee on Political Education) activities and political conventions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• AFL-CIO: National labor federation of which DC16 (via IUPAT) is an affiliate. Comparable as the apex membership organization and political/advocacy umbrella within which DC16 operates.
• Western Wall & Ceiling Contractors Association (WWCCA): DC16's direct contractor counterpart association for the wall/ceiling trade in California. Listed partner; analogous organization on the management/contractor side of the same CBA relationship.
• Northern California Painting & Finishing Contractors (NCPFC): Signatory contractor association that negotiates CBAs with DC16 for the painting trade. Exact mirror of DC16 on the contractor-management side of collective bargaining.
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT): DC16's parent international union governing body; sets constitution, training standards, and provides shared services across all district councils. Comparable because it operates union infrastructure (training, apprenticeships, organizing) at scale, but is governance rather than direct labor dispatch.

Broad incumbents

• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Major AFL-CIO affiliate with construction-industry locals and overlapping signatory contractor network. Comparable in union scale and structure, though operating in different crafts.
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters: Major AFL-CIO construction trades union with overlapping signatory-contractor relationships in commercial finishing scopes (drywall, flooring). Comparable as a peer construction trade union serving California/Nevada projects.
• Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA): Large AFL-CIO construction union with overlapping jurisdiction on commercial/institutional job sites in NorCal/Nevada. Comparable as a peer construction labor union competing for share-of-mind with apprentices and signatory contractors.

Direct peers

• IUPAT District Council 9: One of the largest IUPAT district councils, covering New York/New Jersey. Directly analogous in structure (multiple locals, paint/drywall/glass trades, apprenticeship, CBA), differing mainly in geography and scale of NYC commercial work.
• IUPAT District Council 36: IUPAT's Southern California counterpart district council; same parent union, same five crafts (painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor coverers, specialty), similar CBA structure and apprenticeship programs. The most direct comparable in scale and model.

Regional players

• California State Building Trades Council: Statewide council of 13+ AFL-CIO construction unions operating in California; DC16 (IUPAT) is an affiliated member. Comparable as a peer umbrella union body with collective bargaining scope and political influence in the California construction market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dc16iupat
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ6RTNW3RjYI151wx731OuQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dc16iupat
• Instagraminstagram.com/dc16iupat/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/district-council-16

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about District Council 16