Executive General Vice President Ken Rigmaiden elected to serve the remainder of this term
Hanover, MD — Effective April 1, 2013, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) General President James Williams officially retires from office.
“There are no words to express just how much I have loved every minute of this job,” said Williams. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve the greatest membership in the labor movement. My thanks to those who have given me such incredible support over the years, and I will always cherish my time spent with my fellow members.”
IUPAT Executive General Vice President Ken Rigmaiden was unanimously elected by the union’s General Executive Board, after being endorsed by all IUPAT business managers, as Williams’ successor.
“General President Williams has ably led this union for nearly 11 years,” said Rigmaiden. “Like the rest of the labor movement, we’ve been through some tough times. Yet, under Jim’s leadership, we always overcame those challenges and emerged as the union known for fighting above its weight class. I, and the rest of the proud men and women of the IUPAT, wish him the best in his well-earned retirement.
“I also want to acknowledge and thank the IUPAT General Executive Board and the General President’s Advisory Committee for their unanimous endorsement of my presidency. I will work to ensure that their confidence in my leadership of our union is not unfounded. My primary focus will be on creating more opportunities for our members.”
“Ken Rigmaiden is more prepared to lead this international than I was 11 years ago,” said Williams. “We have been working together for the last 19 years, both on the local level in the Bay Area and in Washington, DC, and I knew from the first time I saw Ken chair a local union meeting that he had a quality of leadership that sets him apart from the average leader. In my opinion, there will be no learning curve. He’s good to go from day one.”
General President Williams served the IUPAT for 45 years as a member and a leader. He began as an apprentice glazier in District Council 21/Local Union 252 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1968. Over the course of the next nearly five decades, Williams rose through the ranks of his local union, district council and the International headquarters to eventually lead the IUPAT as general president.
Rigmaiden became a floor covering installer apprentice in District Council 16/Local Union 12 in San Jose, California in 1977. In the following years, he was elected by his fellow members to serve in many leadership positions on both the local union and district council levels. In 1996, he was tapped to work for the union on the International level in the IUPAT Western Region as a general representative. In 1997, he began working for the International headquarters in Washington, DC as an assistant to the general president with responsibilities in National Agreements and Jurisdiction, as well as serving as the national project coordinator for the IUPAT Job Corps program, among other duties.
Mr. Rigmaiden was elected to the position of executive general vice president for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in 2002.
IUPAT General Secretary-Treasurer George Galis remains in his position, while Bill Candelori, general vice president of the IUPAT Eastern Region, has been elected by the General Executive Board to fill the vacancy left by Rigmaiden as the executive general vice president for the remainder of this term (August 2014). He’ll continue to oversee the operations of the Eastern Region in addition to his new duties as the EGVP.