One Union, One Room: Recapping the 2026 DC 11 Membership Meeting

On September 26, 2026, about 70 members of IUPAT District Council 11 packed into Middletown for our annual council-wide membership meeting. Painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, and industrial workers from across Connecticut and Rhode Island came together to hear department updates, review the year's wins, and talk about where we go next.

We also welcomed a special guest: Congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District.

A huge thank you to every member who showed up in Middletown. Your presence is what makes this union strong. Hear the Membership Meeting recap from our BM/ST Jason Werthman!

BMST Report: Growing Stronger by the Numbers

Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Jason Werthmann opened the meeting with the state of the council and the increased membership numbers. Jason laid out the council's 2026 priorities:

Training and apprenticeship: working with the DOT to restructure the apprentice program, hiring full-time Glazing and Painter/Drywall Finisher Coordinators, and completing new apprentice standards this year.
Residential market share: bringing the Servicing, Organizing, and Political departments together to win more residential work.
Glazing license: strengthening the glazing license and requiring a glazing permit to bid glazing projects.
Member programs: building CORE Committees through the VOC and running a Steward Program through the Servicing Department.
Health Fund: a new online participant portal for benefit forms, contributions, eligibility status, and more.

BM/ST Werthman also introduced a new member benefit: free one-on-one financial planning through Benco Financial Advisors, covering debt, retirement and pension planning, buying a home, paying for college, and more.

Training: Building the Next Generation

Director of Training Angel Galloza (Local 1274) walked members through updates at the Finishing Trades Institute, including transitions and the retirement of DOT Mike Komaromi, grants, and new apprentice standards. He highlighted increased involvement in the STAR courses and the push to develop our own pre-apprenticeship program and break down barriers to entry for new apprentices.

Angel celebrated a big milestone: this year marked the 20th anniversary of STAR, and he called it a success. He also congratulated Local 1333's Robert Fournier, who won the truck this year. Angel spoke candidly about apprentice retention too, and why keeping apprentices in the program through all four years is a major focus going forward.

Organizing: Taking on the Non-Union Market

Director of Organizing John LaChapelle (Local 1122) reported on the fight for fair work in affordable housing and residential construction, including organizing at housing authorities, the recent shutdowns of non-union contractors Superior Painting and Oak Grove, and work alongside legislators at the Capitol.

John also announced two newly signed agreements: Veteran Construction Company and Sci-Fall Glass. Welcome to the union!

John made the case that affordable housing is a path to more work for our members: "If we can get the working people to live in the houses as affordable housing that we're building, it'll create an opportunity for us to grab a market share." The work is already underway across the markets, starting in Norwalk with organizer Richard Durfee.

He also issued a direct challenge to the room. "We need a population that's going to be there for us every single time." Every member who signed in that day can expect a call from John about joining the Volunteer Organizing Committee, in Connecticut or Rhode Island.

Political: Fighting for Workers at the Capitol

Political Director Mark Davidson (Local 481) broke down the legislation DC 11 is fighting for:

SB 268: strengthening wage theft law
SB 471: apprentices on public works projects
HB 5150: school building projects
SB 356: electronic certified payroll
Prevailing wage on housing funds and lowering the 1 million dollar threshold
Pushing the NACC agreement into law

Special Guest: Congressman Joe Courtney

Congressman Joe Courtney spoke directly with members about the project labor agreements moving forward in the region and what is happening in Washington that affects working families, giving members an inside look at developments many had not heard about yet.

He brought it home with projects members can see from the job site. Courtney pointed to the Gold Star Memorial Bridge project as a direct result of the federal infrastructure law, along with the Amtrak bridge in Old Saybrook that is finally being rebuilt. He also told members how much the agenda of the Education and Labor Committee, where he serves, changes depending on which party is in control.

Courtney also showed members 50 years of data on how many bills Congress has actually passed into law, and how sharply that number has dropped in recent years.

He closed with a call to action ahead of the midterms: "Let's make sure that we get this country on the right track after November 3rd."

Communications: Stay Connected

Communications Director Jesse Rose opened with a message every member should hear: mental health is union business. You'd never leave your hard hat or safety glasses behind on the job, and you shouldn't leave your mental and emotional health behind either. It's safety gear too.

Jesse Rose also walked members through the tools that keep them connected:

The DC 11 website: the training calendar, member resources and benefits, and the Our Work blog. Members can upload jobsite photos and training certifications under Members, then Upload Photos and Certs.
The member mobile app and apprentice portal
Email and text: our primary ways of reaching members. All texts come from one number, (866) 484-7859, so save it.
Social media: follow DC 11 on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Mental Health is Union Business.

That's why DC 11 offers IUPAT Helping Hands and a free, confidential Employee Assistance Program through Lower Hudson Valley, available to members and their families for stress, substance use, and mental health support. Call 914-245-6300. You are not alone.

Service: Record Wins Across Three States

Director of Service Justin Kelley (Local 195) closed out the department updates with a strong year in review:

Up about 60 members year to date
406 surveys collected through the BUMP launch
About 40 members trained as stewards
Record PLAs in all three states
VOC and member committees growing

The Servicing Department's goal: 10 new members per local per year, or 70 council-wide.

Justin made stewardship personal. Our international union was chartered in 1887, and Local 195 in 1891. "We stand on the shoulders of generations of people who fought before us," he said. "So we've got to stand firm now and pass this on to a future generation."

That's the purpose of the new Steward Program. Members who complete steward training and Building Union Member Power training become eligible to be dispatched as stewards. DC 11 has some of the strongest steward language in the international union, in both our master agreement and our bridge agreement.

Justin laid out what comes next:

Starting in 2027, every out-of-town company will have a steward dispatched with them automatically.
Contractors must register their projects. After one written warning, a contractor who doesn't goes before a joint trade board.
Going forward, a steward will be dispatched first, and the next person will be an apprentice.

His message to contractors who push back: "Read the contract you signed. No is a full answer. It's a full sentence." Members show up and are accountable every day, and contractors will be held accountable to the agreements they signed.

Justin closed with a challenge to every member in the room: "When we work together, if we make Building Union Member Power a reality, we don't have to accept injustice because that's just the way it is. We can say, I'm not willing to accept that any longer. I'm ready to fight for what I want to see in life."