District Council 21

What District Council 21 does

District Council 21 (IUPAT DC21) is a regional labor union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and representing approximately 11 constituent Locals across central and northeast Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia region, New Jersey, and Delaware. It serves workers in the finishing trades — painters, glaziers, drywall finishers, industrial and bridge painters, wallcoverers, sign painters, and related occupations — and operates as their exclusive collective-bargaining representative. The organization employs roughly 70 staff across four physical locations: a Philadelphia headquarters and main campus, a Springfield (NJ) branch campus, a Drums (PA) instructional service center, and an Atlantic City meeting location.

DC21's core product is union membership, which delivers industry-leading wages, workplace protections, healthcare (welfare fund), defined-benefit pension, defined-contribution annuity, scholarships for dependents, and adjunct programs including the LMCI Maternity Leave Program and Guardian Nurses healthcare advocacy. The Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region (FTI-MAR) operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary training center, running zero-debt "Earn As You Learn" apprenticeships in glazier, commercial paint, industrial/bridge paint, and drywall finishing, with a stated 100% job-placement guarantee. An exclusive hiring-hall and dispatch system refers journeypersons to signatory contractors based on group priority and chronological order, and the organization maintains a digital footprint through the IUPAT Mobile Member Portal app and the I-Site member portal.

Revenue is generated through member dues and employer contributions to welfare, annuity, and pension funds, supplemented by ancillary income including banquet-hall rentals at the Philadelphia facility. The go-to-market motion is community-led: acquisition occurs through organizing drives, FTI-MAR apprenticeship pipelines, and word-of-mouth within the trades. Pricing for membership dues is not publicly disclosed, and DC21 has expanded partnerships with Rowan University (construction management degrees), BBS Benefit Solutions (voluntary disability coverage), and the Women in Nontraditional Careers (WINC) program. The union is governed by elected leadership, with a Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer (Bernie Snyder) heading operations.

Name

District Council 21

Legal name

IUPAT District Council 21

Website

https://dc21.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

District Council 21 (IUPAT DC21) is a Philadelphia-based regional labor union affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, representing workers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware in finishing trades including painting, glazing, and drywall finishing. It delivers member wages, benefits, apprenticeship training via FTI-MAR, and an exclusive hiring-hall dispatch service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Apprenticeship training programs
• Finishing trades workforce
• Union benefits administration
• Construction hiring hall services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: DC21 generates revenue through membership dues from union members. The union also receives employer contributions from signatory contractors to benefit funds including welfare fund, annuity fund, and pension funds.
2. Employer Contributions to Benefit Funds: Signatory contractors make contributions to DC21's welfare fund, annuity fund, and pension fund on behalf of covered employees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

District Council 21 is a labor union local representing finishing trades workers (painters, glaziers, drywall finishers, wallcoverers, industrial/bridge painters) across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It sells union membership delivering collective bargaining representation, industry-leading wages, healthcare/pension/annuity benefits, and workplace protections, and operates the Finishing Trades Institute (FTI-MAR) apprenticeship program with 100% job placement and zero student debt. It also runs an exclusive hiring hall dispatching journeypersons to signatory contractors.

Product overview

IUPAT District Council 21 is a labor union offering a portfolio of member services centered around trade workforce development and labor representation. The core offering is union membership providing industry-leading wages, healthcare, and retirement benefits. Training is delivered through the Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region (FTI-MAR), offering apprenticeship programs with 100% job placement. The organization provides dispatch/hiring hall services for job referrals, administers benefits including welfare fund, annuity, and pension, and operates member digital platforms (Member Portal and Mobile App). Additional services include scholarship programs for member dependents, construction management education partnerships with Rowan University, political advocacy through the Labor Action Team, and banquet hall facility rentals at the Philadelphia union hall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% job placement for FTI apprenticeship graduates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BBS Benefit SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026DC21 partnered with BBS Benefit Solutions to offer voluntary benefit coverage including paycheck protection short term disability insurance for financial protection in times of unexpected need.
• Rowan UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2024FTI-MAR has teamed up with Rowan University to offer DC21 members exclusive access to graduate and undergraduate programs in construction management. Programs include Construction Management Certificate, Bachelor of Arts in Construction Management, and Master of Engineering Management. Members receive discounted tuition rates with a streamlined 10-minute application process.
• Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region (FTI-MAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTI-MAR serves as the official training center of District Council 21 apprenticeships. Recognized as a 'Trailblazer' in apprenticeships with the U.S. Department of Labor, FTI-MAR is also accredited with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Council of Occupational Education. It is the first stand-alone building trades apprenticeship program in North America with this status. FTI offers zero-debt Earn As You Learn model with 100% job placement.
• Women in Nontraditional Careers (WINC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWINC is a program that helps women explore the trades and provides support through the apprentice application process. DC21 promotes WINC cohorts (next one in October) to attract women to construction careers.
• Guardian NursesminorOthersGuardian Nurses provide healthcare advocacy services to DC21 members and their families, helping with appointments, doctor visits, billing resolution, and treatment decision support.
• Allied Trades Assistance ProgramminorOthersThe Philadelphia Trade Unions' program providing mental health support and substance use disorder assistance to members and their loved ones.
• IUPAT Helping HandminorOthersInternational IUPAT's program for suicide prevention and substance misuse support, providing resources for mental health awareness.
• Laffey Bucci, LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaw firm providing $10 loaded value ticket compliments for DC21 members purchasing tickets for Philadelphia Flyers games at Wells Fargo Center.
• 617 Media GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative and marketing agency that appears on DC21's website footer, suggesting ongoing marketing/creative partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Techs (UA): Building trades union covering plumbing, pipefitting, and HVAC trades. Operates the same union infrastructure (apprenticeship, hiring hall, benefit funds) and competes for the same construction craft worker pipeline as DC21 in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• IUPAT District Council 58: IUPAT district council representing Ohio painters, glaziers, drywall finishers, and allied trades. Same charter, trade scope, and operating structure as DC21 — useful for benchmarking regional apprenticeship throughput and benefit fund economics.
• IUPAT District Council 9: IUPAT district council serving the New York City area for painters and allied trades workers. Closely comparable business model — collective bargaining, dispatch, apprenticeship, and welfare/pension administration — but operating in a denser urban market.
• IUPAT District Council 35: IUPAT district council covering painters, glaziers, and finishers across the Midwest (IL, IN, IA, KS, MO, NE). Same trades and same IUPAT operating model as DC21, providing a useful comparable for regional union economics in a different geography.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): One of the largest building trades unions in North America, representing electrical workers. Operates the same union model — apprenticeship training, hiring halls, pension/welfare benefits — and competes for jurisdiction on integrated construction projects alongside DC21 painters and glaziers.
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC): Major North American building trades union representing carpenters and related trades. Comparable in operating model (collective bargaining, hiring halls, apprenticeship training, benefit fund administration) and competes with DC21 for the same construction labor pool.
• Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA / SMART): Building trades union representing sheet metal workers, with shared training and dispatch infrastructure. Operates under the same union economic model as DC21 and frequently co-locates on commercial construction projects requiring finishing trades.
• IUPAT District Council 711: Sibling IUPAT district council covering painters, glaziers, and finishers in the New York/New Jersey region. Operates the same union model with its own hiring hall, apprenticeship training, and benefit funds, making it the most structurally comparable peer to DC21.

Others

• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National trade association representing open-shop (non-union) contractors in commercial and industrial construction. Not a direct competitor for members but represents the structural counterparty to DC21 in the union-vs-open-shop dynamic that shapes DC21's market share trajectory.

Broad incumbents

• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT): International parent union of which DC21 is a district council. Operates the national collective bargaining agreements, training standards, and benefit fund structures that DC21 implements locally. Comparable as the broader organization governing the same trade jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dc21iupat
• Facebookfacebook.com/iupatdc21
• Instagraminstagram.com/pat_dc21
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/district-council-21

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 21