Kenneth E. Rigmaiden, General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), is the newest member of the MTD executive board.
Rigmaiden, who was unanimously appointed to head IUPAT earlier this year upon the retirement of James Williams, began his career with the union in 1977 after graduating from California State University in San Jose.
Working his way up the ranks, he served as an executive board member, trustee, vice president and president of Local 1288. In addition, he was an instructor for floor covering installation within the local’s apprenticeship training program.
After being elected business representative for Local 1288, Rigmaiden worked with several other locals in the Northern California region to create an amalgamated Local 12. He was elected its business representative in 1993.
By 1996, Rigmaiden was selected to serve as a general representative for the international. A year later, he became an assistant to the general president. The union elevated him to the position of executive general vice president in 2002. In that post, he was the general administrator of the international’s affairs. He assigned tasks to the IUPAT board members and staff and coordinated national union meetings, conferences and the general president’s schedule.
“We are honored to have a labor leader of this stature serve on our executive board,” said MTD President Michael Sacco. “We all look forward to further working with Ken.”