Resources
Finishing Industry Liaisons
Finishing First Industry Liaisons serve as our ambassadors to IUPAT employers, as well as prospective industry partners, and the construction industry. Each trade has a dedicated liaison who supports its specific needs by:
- Facilitating pre-jobs on national agreement projects
- Participating in contract negotiations as a neutral party
- Assisting with the Finishing Industry Forum
- Hosting the Mutual Gains Bargaining Seminar
- Participating in industry labor/management meetings
- Attending & participating in contractor and employer association meetings
- Supervising the Finishing First exhibit at national trade shows
Each liaison is tasked with monitoring the latest development in the trades and ensure that IUPAT industry partners have the tools and resources necessary to build a competitive edge.
Mike Heinz
Floor Covering Installation, Industry Liaison
Phone: (410) 940-8987
Mike joined District Council 5/Local Union 1238 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in Seattle, Washington in 1978 as an apprentice in floor covering, and worked his way to becoming a journey worker and certified floor covering professional.
Mike was hired by Finishing First LMCI in 2016, and since worked to position IUPAT Floorcovering as the best in the floorcovering industry.
Currently, he is the chair of the Substance Use Disorder & Suicide Prevention workgroup that is developing actions and tools to support our members and employers in the areas of mental health and substance use issues.
He lives in Tacoma, WA with wife Margie, and his best friend Kramer, an Aussie Shepherd.
Rick Matthews
Industrial Coatings Industry Liaison
Phone: (410) 533-6025
Rick joined District Council 6/Local 438 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in Ohio in June 1981 as an apprentice. He worked throughout the United States as a journey worker, and then Project Manager.
In December 2004, Rick was hired as an apprentice coordinator for IUPAT District Council 51 in the Washington, DC metro area. In January 2009, he became a business representative for DC 51 Local 1.
He served in that position until August 2015 when Rick became the Finishing First LMCI industry liaison for the Eastern Region. His background is in the Bridge and Industrial Painting field.
Rick has worked in refineries, water treatment, manufacturing, processing, chemical, electric generation, pulp and paper, bridges, and tanks/vessels.
He is a member in good standing of the Society of Protective Coatings (SSPC) and National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), he also has SSPC C3 & C5 certifications and an NACE CIP Level 2 inspector certification with a Bridge Inspector supplement.
Tim Stricker
Glazing Liaison, Executive Assistant to the General President, IUPAT
Phone: (202) 262-3950
Tim Stricker began his career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades as a glazier apprentice with District Council 21/Local Union 252 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1980.
In 1996, after 16 years on the job, he was appointed as the organizer for Local Union 252, and assistant political director of District Council 21. His duties included the recruitment of new members, enforcing workplace rules and the coordination of political activism and lobbying programs for all DC 21 affiliates.
In November 2006, Mr. Stricker was appointed Executive Assistant to the General President at the IUPAT headquarters. From March 2007 through 2009, Mr. Stricker also served as the director of the IUPAT Government Affairs Department.
In 2013, he was tasked with spearheading the IUPAT Glazing Industry Initiative, a program designed to expand the union glazing market share and workforce. He joined the Finishing First LMCI team in 2015.
He currently resides in Philadelphia.