ABOUT US: IUPAT'S PENSION FUND

More than 7,000 employers in the United States and Canada participate in the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund. With assets in excess of $2.4 billion, the Pension Fund is professionally managed by a joint board of trustees--made up of equal representation of contributing employers and labor representatives. The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) insures the benefits. The Fund is inviting to both large and small employers as a way to provide meaningful retirement benefits.

• Meet the Trustees
• Meet the Fund Administrator, Gary Meyers
• IUPAT Journal, pdfs
• Contact Us

Meet the Trustees
Only the Trustees or someone specifically authorized by the Trustees can speak for this Plan, or tell you about your rights and benefits. For example, you should not rely on information given to you by a Local Union or District Council official, or a Business Representative or an Employer in regards to the pension fund. Be sure to Contact Us with any questions about your Pension Plan!

The Trustees work hard to ensure that your Pension Plan will take care of you and your family when you retire. Here is your opportunity to find out more about the individuals who are hard at work for you!

• James A. Williams, General President
• Art Aivaliotis, Avalotis Corporation
• Joseph A. Brescia, Corporate President, Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co., Inc.
• William D. Candelori, Jr, General Vice President
• George Galis, General Secretary-Treasurer
• Adolf Gust, President, Paragon Drywall Contractors
• Jerome Haber, Chairman of the Board, W & W Glass, LLC
• Robert Kucheran, General Vice President
• Michael LeGood, President, Painters Collaborative Inc.
• Leo Manta, CL Coatings Industrial Painting & Specialty Coatings
• Bill Nicholls, Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer, IUPAT District Council 46
• Richard M. Pazdzierski, Owner/Partner & President of Seaside Painters & Sandblasters Inc.
• Raymond J. Price, III, General Vice President
• Kenneth Rigmaiden, Executive General Vice President
• Raymond N. Sesma ,General Vice President
• Steve Sharpe, Sharpe Interior Systems

James A. Williams, General President, IUPAT
James A. Williams began his apprenticeship with Glaziers, Architectural Metal and Glass Workers Local Union 252, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after graduating from Northeast Catholic High School in 1968. In 1969 he enlisted in the Army, serving as an Infantryman in Vietnam. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, the Army Accommodation Medal, and an Air Medal. Returning home in 1971, he completed his apprenticeship and worked as a journeyman glazier. In 1975, he was elected president and business manager of Local Union 252. In these capacities he also served as co-chairman of their Pension, Annuity, Health & Welfare and Vacation Funds. One year later, he became a business agent for District Council 21. In 1978, he was elected business manager/secretary-treasurer of the district council and served on numerous boards, including the Philadelphia Private Industry Council.

In August of 1994 he was elected the allied region general vice president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades – a labor organization with 140,000 construction industry members in the United States and Canada. He held this position until September 1995, when he was appointed general secretary-treasurer elect of the IUPAT. In August 1999 he was elected general secretary-treasurer. As general secretary-treasurer, he held the position of trustee on several pension funds, including the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund, the IUPAT Local Union and District Council Pension Fund and the IUPAT General Officers, Staff and Employees Retirement and Pension Fund. In 1985 Governor Casey appointed Mr. Williams as a commonwealth trustee to Temple University, a position he held for 13 years.

In April 2003, Mr. Williams was unanimously elected general president by the union’s General Executive Board. That same year, he was appointed to the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council where he continues to serve on the finance, human rights and political committees. In 2004, the general president took the unprecedented step of completing his college degree. He received his bachelor’s degree with four members of his executive board and 18 other IUPAT members from across the U.S. and Canada. Mr. William’s senior thesis “Confessions of a Union Leader,” is a case study that has been used in IUPAT leadership training. In 2004, he was unanimously reelected to the office of general president and now also serves on the AFL-CIO Committee.

The general president is well respected by union and legislative leaders from coast to coast for his strong political acumen. He attributes his keen sense of politics to his youth when he was a regular participant in Philadelphia ward politics. Mr. Williams repeatedly serves as a sounding board for candidates running for office, be it for city council or the presidency. On June 8, 2005 Mr. Williams was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and the Advisory Board of the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust.

A traditional family man, he has been married for over 30 years to his wife, Gerrie. They have two daughters, Aimee and Chrissy, two sons Jimmy and Danny and four grandchildren Shaun, Christopher, Matthew and James.
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Art Aivaliotis, Avalotis Corporation
Aristotle George Aivaliotis began working for the family owned business, Avalotis Painting Company, in 1976 in Pittsburgh.  He started his apprenticeship in IUPAT Local Union 530 in Beaver, Pennsylvania in 1977 and continued his training in East Chicago until he returned to Pittsburgh and Avalotis Painting in 1979. 

He worked as an industrial painter until being promoted to project management in 1986 on the Beaver Valley nuclear plant project.  Upon the completion of the new construction phase of that project, he returned to the company’s corporate offices as vice president of operations and administration. 

In 1992, the company’s founder and Aivaliotis’ father, George, retired as president.   Aristotle and his brother Chris assumed the day to day operations of Avalotis Painting Company as president and vice president, respectively.  They continue to serve in these positions today.

Aivaliotis is married with three children.

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Joseph A. Brescia, Corporate President, Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co., Inc.
Joseph A. Brescia, is the corporate president and chairman to the Board of Directors at Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co., Inc. (AGA). Brescia became corporate president in 1983 after control was purchased, and implemented a program of staff improvement and sales expansion from a base of $1.5 million to the current level of $60 million annually. AGA has been affiliated with the Glaziers since its inception in 1970.

Brescia is a licensed B-General Contractor, C-17 Glazing Contractor and C-61 Specialty Contractor in California and is also a licensed glazing contractor in Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Washington and Hawaii.

He is active on numerous boards all over California. In 1998, Brescia started as a trustee in Northern California and, in 2003, he became involved in the Southern California Pension Fund, serving as one of the steering committee co-chairs in bringing the fund to resolution with the employers, PBGC and IRS. In the last several years, he helped form the negotiating committee for Northern California Glass Management Association (NCGMA).

In 1972, Brescia received his B.S. in business and in 1973 received his M.B.A in marketing finance from Bowling Green State University.
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William D. Candelori, Jr, General Vice President, IUPAT
William Candelori Jr. has been an International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) elected leader since 1982, beginning as a warden to Painters Local Union 1107 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and as a delegate to District Council 21, Philadelphia, PA. In 1984 he was elected Business Representative to the District Council and in 1990 he was elected Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer. Later, his expanded role included serving as Vice President of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO and as Vice President to the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, Executive Board member of the Pennsylvania Building Trade Council, along with being appointed to the Philadelphia Historical Commission. In 1996, the IUPAT members elected him to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the IUPAT Eastern Regional Conference. Just two years later, he became General Vice President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, serving the Eastern Region, and President of the Eastern Regional Conference. In addition to his role as trustee to the Finishing Trades Institute (FTI), Apprenticeship Training and Education Program, and the Labor Management Cooperation Initiative (LMCI); Mr. Candelori also serves as a trustee to the Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund.
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George Galis, General Secretary-Treasurer, IUPAT
George Galis was born and raised in the union steel mill town of Monessen, Pennsylvania. George Galis began working for his father’s company, Galis Painting, at age 12. He continued to work as an industrial and commercial painter through high school and eventually joined IUPAT Local Union 327 at age 16.

In 1978, Galis received his B.A. from California University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in Political Science. He continued his career as a painter until 1982 when he was appointed as an organizer for Local Union 6 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1986, Galis was elected business manager/financial secretary of Local Union 6 and served in that capacity until being appointed as a general representative for the IUPAT in 1993. Galis served as an IUPAT representative until 2002 when he began serving as General Secretary-Treasurer. During his career, Galis graduated from the Harvard University Trade Union Program and received a Bachelors Degree from the National Labor College.

Mr. Galis and his wife, Dana, have been married since 1988. They have two sons, Emilio and Zachary.
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Adolf Gust, President, Paragon Drywall Contractors
Adolf Gust is the founder and president of Paragon Drywall Contractors, founded in 1973.  Born in Poland/Ukraine, Gust immigrated to Canada in 1951. He graduated from Central High School in 1959 and obtained his accounting designation, Certified General Accountant, in 1967. Paragon Drywall Contractors are signatories with Local 1891 of District Council 46, with the labor company being Tempo Insulation and Drywall Contractors, Ltd.

Gust has been a trustee on the pension and welfare fund for more than 20 years, and sits on various committees including the audit, investment and negotiating committees. He is also a director of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario.
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Jerome Haber, Chairman of the Board, W & W Glass, LLC
Jerry Haber is the Chairman of the Board of W & W Glass, LLC. W & W is a family owned business that started as Haber & Henry Inc. and has a 70-year history in the metal and glass industry. W & W is one of the largest metal and glass companies in the New York metropolitan area and the largest supplier of structural glass in the country.

Haber, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was born into the family business and took over as president in 1963. He is the president of the Window and Plate Glass Dealers Association of New York and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Building Trades Employers Association of New York. He is a trustee of the DC 9 Welfare and Annuity Funds.

Haber is married and has five children, three of whom are working with him at W & W.
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Robert Kucheran, General Vice President, IUPAT
Robert Kucheran was born and raised in Fort William, Ontario, which is now known as Thunder Bay. He first left home at the age of 16 to play hockey in the Ontario Hockey League for the Oshawa Generals. After a tryout with the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, Robert decided to attend York University, Toronto, on a hockey scholarship.

He first became a member of the IUPAT in April 1985 working as a summer student at the Port Arthur Ship Building Company in Thunder Bay. Robert returned to school in 1992 and earned a diploma in International Business.

It was after graduation that he became the Business Manager of Local 1671 in Thunder Bay. During this time, he was Secretary to the local building trades and Director with the Superior North Apprenticeship Board.

In 2000, Robert, his wife Suzanne and sons Konrad and Riley relocated to Caledonia, Ontario in order for Robert to become an organizer with local 205 Hamilton. Robert was appointed General President’s Representative in the fall of 2000. As a GPR, he attended the Harvard University Trade Union Program in 2001.

Robert enjoys spending time with his family, and coaching his sons in hockey.
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Michael LeGood, President, Painters Collaborative Inc.
Michael LeGood, president of Painters Collaborative Inc., in Rosemont, Illinois, considers himself very fortunate to be in the business for 34 years. A fourth generation painter, LeGood is a residential and commercial drywall and painting contractor, who calls himself a “homegrown guy” who started at the bottom of the painting contractor ladder with an apprenticeship in 1972 and moved his way up to journeyman, foreman, superintendent and director of operations.

LeGood, a card-carrying union member for more than 20 years, has only worked for two companies. Starting with the Painters Collaborative in 1972, LeGood decided he needed a change and in 1985 went to work for Service Decorating. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually became general manager. In 1995, LeGood decided to return to the Painters Collaborative.

LeGood is very active in his community and serves on several boards in the Illinois area, including the FCA of Illinois Board; Northern Illinois Painting & Drywall Institute (NIPDI), where he is a Trustee; is the Vice President on the Board of Directors to the Residential Construction Employers Council (RCEC); and is an active member on the Joint Trade Board and the Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund (JATF) for the IUPAT.

In 2005, LeGood became a Trustee for IUPAT’s Industry Pension Fund. He has 20 vested years in the union, and is part of the same plan as those he’ll be representing.
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Leo J. Manta, Vice President, CL Coatings LLC
Leo Manta began his career as a plant manager at Manta Vin-Cor Steel in Chicago, Illinois in 1958, painting corrugated siding for steel mills. By 1963, he was vice president of J.L. Manta Inc. in Tampa, Florida, a company that blasted and painted all steel for a vertical assembly building at Cape Kennedy. He then moved back to Chicago where he partnered with his brothers and served as vice president of J.L Manta. Manta remained vice president through several company ownership changes and eventually retired from K2 Industrial Services in September 2004. He then started his own company, North American Coatings (owner of CL Coatings LLC).

He has been a trustee of local pension and welfare funds for the past 15 years. In January 2001, he was appointed trustee to the International Fund by the Finishing Contractors Association and continues to serve in this position today.

Manta graduated from St. John’s Military Academy in 1954 and went on to earn a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University. He has been married to his wife Sophia for nearly 50 years and is a proud father of four children with seven grandchildren.
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Bill Nicholls, Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer, IUPAT District Council 46
William (Bill) Nicholls is 53 years of age and has been a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades since 1974. He began his trade as a painter decorator and drywall finisher in IUPAT Local 1151, Saint John, New Brunswick. He served in many positions of the local union becoming business manager in 1983. In 1987, Bill relocated to District Council 46, Toronto, Ontario as an organizer and has been business manager/secretary-treasurer since 1995.

Bill Nicholls has been involved in organizing and restructuring several local unions in the Province of Ontario. He was instrumental in the creation of training programs and in particular the founding of the Ontario Industrial Finishing Skills Centre where he continues to be a trustee. He is also a trustee of the Interior Finishing Systems Training Centre and a member of the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship.

Bill is currently president of the Ontario Council of Painters that is the bargaining agent representing all IUPAT Locals in the Province of Ontario for all crafts of the IUPAT and a trustee of all pension and benefit funds. He is president of the Provincial Building & Construction Trades Council of Ontario, director of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario and director of the Ontario Construction Secretariat.

Within the IUPAT, Bill has been involved and continues to be involved in numerous organizing campaigns. He instructed numerous COMET classes in Ontario and in other regions of Canada for many years. Bill is past president of the Canadian Regional Conference, member of the General President’s Advisory Committee, a member of the General President’s Organizing Committee representing Canada, serves on the Canadian Education Committee of the International Foundation, and has served as a member, secretary, and chairperson of the Laws and Constitution Committee at past IUPAT General Conventions.

Bill enjoys golf, hockey, boxing and football along with entertaining his grandsons, cooking and music as his favorite pastimes.
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Raymond J. Price, III, General Vice President, IUPAT
Raymond Price, a graduate of Cleveland State University, joined Painters and Allied Trades Local Union 867 in Cleveland, Ohio in 1977. He was subsequently elected to many union positions, including recording secretary for Local Union 867; business agent and business manager of District Council 6; and vice president for the Cleveland, Ohio chapter of the AFL-CIO. He also served as the chairman of the Cleveland Building Trades Housing Committee, and president of the Ohio State Conference of Painters.

In 1999, the General President of IUPAT appointed him as a general president’s representative. In 2001, he was appointed as a general vice president of IUPAT. He is the president of the Central Regional Conference; trustee to the IUPAT Pension Fund; trustee to the Labor Management Cooperation Initiative; delegate to conferences and conventions and very active in local, state and national political campaigns.

Price has been married to Mary Ann for 21 years and has 4 children, Raymond, Ryan, Randall and Ashley.
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Richard M. Pazdzierski, Owner/Partner & President of Seaside Painters & Sandblasters Inc.
Richard Pazdzierski is in his 28th year as owner/partner and president of Seaside Painters & Sandblasters Inc. He began his painting career in 1970 at a shipyard and within a few years started and built this company. As an industrial painting contractor, he manages a 50,000 square foot environmentally controlled shop. In 1995, he qualified for his Nace Peer Inspection Certificate, which is an asset to the company.

In 1995, Pazdzierski became a Trustee for IUPAT’s Industry Pension Fund. In 2000, Seaside Painters & Sandblasters, Inc. achieved SSPC QP3 shop painting Certification, the first and only in Canada to receive this honor. SSPC’s 2003 records show that Seaside Painters & Sandblasters Inc. is still the only qualified company in Canada to achieve this status.
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Kenneth Rigmaiden, Executive General Vice President, IUPAT
The Executive General Vice President began his career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) upon graduating from California State University in San Jose in 1977. He immediately enrolled in the floor covering apprenticeship training program of Local Union 1288, and received certificates of completion from the IUPAT's International Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund and the State of California Division of Apprenticeship Standards in 1980.

Mr. Rigmaiden remained in San Jose as a floor covering installer, and in the following six years served as an executive board member, a trustee, the vice president and eventually president of Local Union 1288. He also served as an instructor for floor covering installation in Local 1288's apprenticeship training program.

In 1986, Mr. Rigmaiden was elected as Local 1288's business representative and focused his career on labor relations. His noted accomplishments during his seven-year tenure include administrating a residential collective bargaining agreement which served to recapture market share and the amalgamation of several local unions in his region to form Local Union 12.

Mr. Rigmaiden was elected business manager for the new Local Union 12 in 1993, and participated in the first region-wide collective bargaining agreement for Northern California. Moreover, he was involved in the merger of several union health and welfare, training and vacation/holiday trust funds and the streamlining of member services for plan participants.

Mr. Rigmaiden was selected to serve as a general representative in 1996. His duties in this post included labor management relations, contract administration, grievance and arbitration, organizing, education and training in 18 western states.

In 1997, he continued his education by earning a degree in labor studies from the George Meany Center/Antioch University. Shortly thereafter, he was selected to serve as an assistant to the general president with specific duties in national agreements and jurisdiction maintenance. Mr. Rigmaiden also served as the national project coordinator for the IUPAT Job Corps Program. This position required the oversight of a training program comprised of nearly 60 instructors throughout the United States and administering U.S. Department of Labor contracts of approximately $6 million annually.

Mr. Rigmaiden was elevated to the position of executive general vice president for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in 2002. As the executive general vice president, he is the general administrator of the International's affairs and assigns tasks to the IUPAT board members and staff. Furthermore, he coordinates national union meetings, conferences and the general president's schedule.

He and his wife Kenya have been married for over twenty-nine years and have two adult children.
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Raymond N. Sesma, Regional General Vice President , IUPAT
Raymond Sesma became a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO, CLC, in 1969, initiating into Local Union 1176, Oakland California. He served his Apprenticeship as an Auto Painter. Since 1975, he has held numerous officer positions within the Local Union (Trustee, Vice-President, President, Treasurer and appointed Business Representative in 1976). In 1977, he was elected Business Manager of the Local Union, and successfully held that position for eight unopposed terms.

In 1982, he went on to serve as President of District Council 16, Oakland, California, which he held for thirteen years. During his tenure with the District Council, he was also appointed, and served, as a Vice President with the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Council, representing the International.

In 1999, Sesma went to work for IUPAT as a General Representative/Organizer. Then he went on to become a General President’s Representative. Because of Sesma’s outstanding dedication to the unionized finishing industries and to the IUPAT membership, he was appointed General Vice-President at Large just one year before assuming the position of a Regional General Vice-President in November 2001.

In addition to his role as a General Vice President, he also serves on the Board of Trustees for the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund and the IUPAT Labor Management Cooperation Initiative.
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Steve Sharpe, President, Sharpe Interior Systems
Steve began his career in the drywall industry in 1971 as a union apprentice. He founded Sharpe Interior Systems, Inc. in 1976 and has spearheaded the continuing evolution of the Company’s capabilities. Steve brings a combination of in-depth experience and innovativeness to his leadership of the firm. He has been active in industry trade associations and stays closely in touch with leading edge issues including safety, government regulations and new products. Steve has been the driving force in developing superior operational methods to achieve continuous improvement in quality, reliability, consistency and customer service.
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Meet the Fund Administrator, Gary Meyers
Under Gary J. Meyer’s leadership, the Fund has increased vastly in size, including the number of District Councils and Local Unions participating, the number of participants and their families covered, and the amount of assets held by the Fund. These increases are directly attributable to Meyers’ efforts.

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Meyers started his career as a floor layer at an early age in 1973, at which time he became a member of Local Union 1179. Meyers remains a member of Local Union 1179 to this day.

Meyers became an employee of the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund in January 1979. He has held many positions with the Fund, including Assistant Fund Administrator before becoming the Fund Administrator in 1991.

Meyers is a resident of Darnestown, Maryland, where he lives with his wife Kari and their two girls, Sydney and MacKenzie. Meyers also has two grown children, Kurt of Frederick, Maryland, and Samantha of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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IUPAT’s Pensions & Retirement
Every other month, IUPAT publishes Pensions & Retirement, a section of the IUPAT Journal that is dedicated to keeping you updated on IUPAT’s Pension Fund. All of the issues will be posted here for your use. Print them out and read at your leisure! (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

• January-March 2007
• October-December 2006
• July-September 2006
• April-June 2006
• January-March 2006

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