IUPAT District Council 81

What IUPAT District Council 81 does

IUPAT District Council 81 is a regional district council chartered under the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), operating since 2000 across six U.S. states: Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Western Illinois. The council coordinates nine affiliated local unions representing painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers, and textile workers in the private construction sector, plus Public Professional Maintenance Employees (PPME) Local 2003 representing public sector workers such as government employees, corrections officers, road crews, and facility maintenance staff. Services include collective bargaining, apprenticeship training programs (painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers), safety and OSHA certifications, benefits administration (health, pension, annuity), Weingarten rights protection, public sector representation through Iowa PERB-administered elections, and member wellness programs including the IUPAT Helping Hand initiative.

The council's product surface spans no-cost apprenticeship programs with tiered wage progression, a virtual career fair portal for recruitment, an IUPAT Member Mobile Portal App (Android and iOS), the Rapid Action Network (RAN) e-activist advocacy platform, and member benefit portals for each affiliated local. Distribution is delivered through a Des Moines headquarters, four regional/local offices (Lakewood CO, Omaha NE, Rock Island IL), three Training Coordinator territories, and a field representative and organizer staff. Underlying infrastructure is largely off-the-shelf (Google Sites, Google Forms, ActionNetwork.org), with no proprietary software product.

Revenue is generated primarily through member dues (recurring subscription-like contributions from affiliated locals) and the administrative share of negotiated employer-paid benefit contributions, with no fee charged to apprentices for training or to workers for placement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is a private membership body with no venture or public equity structure, governed by the parent IUPAT constitution, with leadership under Business Manager – Secretary Treasurer JD Fitch.

Name

IUPAT District Council 81

Legal name

International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 81

Website

https://iupatdc81.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IUPAT District Council 81 is a regional labor union district council under the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, representing painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers, and public sector workers across six U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: IUPAT District Council 81 generates revenue through member dues paid by affiliated local union members. The union also negotiates employer benefit contributions on behalf of members, including pension, health and welfare, and annuity contributions from signatory employers. Revenue supports representation services, training programs, organizing efforts, and member benefits administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IUPAT District Council 81 is a regional labor union district council that represents construction trades workers (painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers) and public sector maintenance employees across six U.S. states. It provides collective bargaining representation, no-cost apprenticeship training, negotiated health/welfare and pension benefits, safety training, and member advocacy services through nine affiliated local unions.

Product overview

IUPAT District Council 81 is a regional labor union offering a portfolio of member services including apprenticeship training programs (painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers), virtual career fair platform, health/welfare and pension benefit programs, safety training, Rapid Action Network advocacy tools, and member resource portals for affiliated local unions across Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Western Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apprenticeship Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Apprentices can earn college credits through iFTI's American Council on Education partnership, potentially counting toward associate or bachelor's degree programs.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Finishing Trades Institute (iFTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriFTI is the training arm of IUPAT and provides apprenticeship curriculum and continuing education for union members. District Council 81 works with iFTI to deliver apprenticeship programs, safety training, and college credit pathways. iFTI engages with the American Council on Education (ACE) to expand college credit opportunities for apprentices, specifically through the Painter Decorator Apprenticeship Program. iFTI also partners with Columbia Southern University to offer discounted online degree programs for IUPAT members and their families.
• Columbia Southern UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU offers online associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs for IUPAT members and families at a 10% discounted rate through iFTI's articulation agreement. Programs include Business Administration, Environmental Management, Occupational Safety & Health, Criminal Justice, and Information Systems & Cyber Security. IUPAT members and families can contact CSU admissions (800-977-8449 ext. 6521) to evaluate transcripts and receive credit for prior training.
• American Council on Education (ACE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACE accepted iFTI into the Apprenticeship Pathways project, allowing apprentices to earn college credits for completing IUPAT training curriculum. ACE faculty reviewers evaluated Painter Decorator Apprenticeship Program course materials for college credit eligibility. The review is published in a national guide to help colleges and employers recognize competencies from the apprenticeship program.
• Elite Glass & MetalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSignatory employer partner with Glaziers Local 1075 in Des Moines, Iowa. Established in 2014, the company employs union glaziers and emphasizes workplace culture, professional growth, safety accountability, and collaborative training. Operations Manager Nate Burgod notes relationships with local union and trade associations provide valuable training and networking opportunities.
• Element13 FacadesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSignatory employer with Glaziers Local 930 (Denver, Colorado). Owned by Jason Nimmo and Brad Holt, the company provides innovative glazing solutions with a focus on quality, budget compliance, schedule adherence, and safe workplaces. The owners emphasize building relationships internally and externally and valuing their workforce.
• Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)minorOthersPERB is the neutral state agency administering Iowa's collective bargaining laws for public sector employees. It conducts retention and recertification elections for PPME Local 2003 members, working with election services vendor YesElections to facilitate telephonic and web-based voting.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IUPAT District Council 9: Another IUPAT regional district council serving finishing-trade members in a multi-state footprint. Directly comparable as a peer district council with the same trades, training programs, and collective-bargaining focus.
• IUPAT District Council 35: Sister district council covering painters, glaziers, and finishing trades across another U.S. region. Highly comparable because it operates the same apprenticeship model, signatory-employer relationships, and member-benefit structure under IUPAT.
• Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association (OPCMIA): Sister finishing-trade union covering plasterers and cement masons. Closely comparable because it organizes an adjacent finishing trade under the same AFL-CIO building-trades umbrella with similar apprenticeship and collective-bargaining programs.

Broad incumbents

• United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC): National building-trades union representing carpenters, floor layers, and related trades. Comparable because UBC organizes many of the same construction craft workers (including floor covering, an overlap with DC 81's Floor Layers Local 419) and competes for the same apprentice pipeline.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): One of the largest U.S. building-trades unions. Comparable as a fellow AFL-CIO construction trade union with the same apprenticeship model, multi-state district structure, and signatory-employer framework.
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT): Parent international union of DC 81; covers all U.S. and Canadian district councils including finishing-trade locals. Comparable because DC 81 operates directly under IUPAT's constitution, governance, and benefit-plan structures.
• United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Techs (UA): Major U.S. building-trades union with parallel apprenticeship, benefits, and collective-bargarding infrastructure. Comparable because it operates in the same construction-trade labor market with the same organizing and training model.
• AFL-CIO: National labor federation of which IUPAT is an affiliate. Comparable as the umbrella body that coordinates political advocacy, organizing campaigns, and policy priorities that DC 81 advances through its Rapid Action Network.
• Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA): National sheet-metal and finishing-trade union (now merged with SMART). Comparable as another AFL-CIO construction trade union representing finishing-craft workers under a multi-state district-council structure.

Others

• National Education Association (NEA): Large public-sector-focused labor union that also engages in member-benefit administration, advocacy, and digital member portals. Comparable as a peer in operating model (membership dues-funded, public-sector representation, benefits/advocacy focus), although it operates in a different industry vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iupatdc81
• Facebookfacebook.com/iupatdc81
• Instagraminstagram.com/iupatdc81
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iupat-district-council-81

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries9 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 IUPAT District Council 81