Longtime IUPAT District Council 35-member Kathleen Santora, a leading advocate of women’s recruitment into the building trades, joins city’s advisory board to fight wage theft and worker’s rights violations in City of Lynn

Painters Union District Council 35 is proud to announce that member Kathleen Santora, an advocate of workers’ rights in the building trades and a Lynn resident, has accepted a position on the City of Lynn’s newly created Wage Theft Advisory Committee.

The Wage Theft Advisory Committee, created as part of a city ordinance, will begin meeting bi-monthly to ensure that known violators of Massachusetts wage laws do not receive contracts with the City.

“Now that the committee has been appointed, I am eager to get to work. Wage theft violations occur all over the country, and I’d like Lynn to set an example that this will not be tolerated in this city,” said Ms. Santora.

Ms. Santora was nominated to the position by North Shore Labor Council President Jeff Crosby in part for her tireless efforts on behalf of workers’ rights, particularly those of women. 

Through IUPAT DC 35, Ms. Santora has been a leading advocate of women in the workforce. In addition to her participation in DC 35’s Women in Action program which seeks to reach out to all women in the trades, Ms. Santora participates in leading unions in the Tradeswomen Tuesday initiative and Girls in Trades events.

“We are proud to have Kathleen as a part of our union. She is a leading voice for women in the workforce, and the commission will benefit greatly from her leadership and experience,” said Jeff Sullivan, Business Manager of IUPAT DC 35.

Said Ms. Santora, “This committee is about protecting workers in Lynn, but ideally this could become a model for cities and towns throughout Massachusetts.” About District Council 35: District Council 35 has a history of doing charity projects to support the community. Their organization branches and members have done work in public schools, organized hurricane relief, and collaborated in support of numerous community groups around New England. District Council 35 is an organization of approximately 4,000 members in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. District Council 35 is committed to serving the interests of members and those unrepresented workers who hope to join. The DC35 is determined to continue to ensure the best wages and benefits in the industries. The organization’s mission is to represent members for purposes of collective bargaining, to organize workers in a variety of occupations, and to advocate for workers and their families. For more information, visit iupatdc35.org.