Seattle painters fired after winning their union

IUPAT calls on labor community to support workers who are standing up for themselves against wage theft and retaliation

SEATTLE, WA (August 6, 2025) — Seattle’s skyline is built by skilled workers across dozens of trades, like the workers at Rivas Painting Inc., who paint handrails on highrise apartment buildings hundreds of feet in the air. Or at least they did, until Rivas fired the workers after they stood up to exploitative working conditions and won union representation with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

Rivas has a track record of wage theft and violating safety protections, leading workers to shut down an unsafe jobsite and sign union cards, per IUPAT District Council 5. These workers, predominantly immigrants, say that Rivas was paying them less than half the area standard wage, and witholding overtime pay and proper safety equipment. The union reports that Rivas Inc has also been fined by the Department of Labor for wage theft and that there are pay stubs proving that the contractor has illegally failed to pay workers overtime.

Photo: IUPAT District Council 5

Recognizing they were being exploited, workers filed for an election through the National Labor Relations Board and won their union unanimously. In response, IUPAT reports that the owner of Rivas Painting Inc. fired the workers with the project’s developer Westbank Corp telling them: “you can come back once you stop this union bullshit.”

“You can come back once you stop this union bullshit.” That’s what workers at Rivas were told after being illegally fired for organizing with our union.

IUPAT is standing strong with Rivas workers in their fight. We’re not backing down! pic.twitter.com/8ykG9TCGWL

— IUPAT (@GoIUPAT) May 20, 2025

“What’s the best weapon to control people? Fear,” said Beto, a glazier, in Spanish. “It’s like they really think at the end of the day, we are disposable.”

Despite this retaliation, workers are continuing to stand together and fight for their rights and dignity to be protected, and are calling on their labor family to back them up.

TAKE A STAND: IUPAT District Council 5 is calling on supporters to sign the workers petition to the employer demanding Rivas negotiate with the union.