LEADERSHIP TRANSITION IN OUR INTERNATIONAL UNION

This month, Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association General President Daniel E. Stepano retires from his six-year tenure as leader of the International Union. He will be succeeded by outgoing Secretary-Treasurer Kevin D. Sexton, who was unanimously elected as the next General President of OPCMIA. Local 534 congratulates both of these strong labor leaders.

Outgoing President Stepano is a shining example of what it means to live the union life. He began his career on the ground floor as a Plasterer in Local 31, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over the next 24 years, his hard work and dedication to his fellow

Plasterers enabled him to rise through the ranks, ascending to the positions of Recording Secretary, Apprentice Coordinator/ Instructor, Executive Board Member, Business Agent, Fund Trustee, Business Manager and Financial Secretary.

In 2016, President Stepano was given the ultimate vote of confidence by members of our trade when we elected him President of OPCMIA, after he had previously held the roles of International Vice President, General Executive Board Member, and Executive Vice President and Director of Organizing. Under President Stepano’s leadership, OPCMIA became more diverse, brought new technological innovations to our work, strengthened our apprenticeship programs, and exercised greater influence over legislation and politics than ever before.

President Stepano leaves our International Union in outstanding shape. We at Local 534 are grateful for his steadfast partnership in strengthening our union at the local and international levels. We wish him the best in his retirement.

Local 534 is proud to welcome new General President Kevin D. Sexton to his leadership role within OPCMIA. There is no one more qualified to lead our great union than General President Sexton, as demonstrated by his unanimous election to replace outgoing President Stepano.

General President Sexton came to the union from the particularly important and distinguished pipeline of the U.S. Military, having served in the Army before becoming an apprentice with Local 518 in Independence, Missouri in 1985. He has held many leadership positions in his old local, from Executive Board Member and Business Agent to Business Manager and President. More recently, General President Sexton served as the General Secretary-Treasurer of OPCMIA, after previously having been its Vice President and Assistant to the General President.

We are excited to support President Sexton, and to work with him to bring about higher wages, stronger benefits, and better opportunities for Local 534 members and all Plasterers. We’re confident in his leadership and excited to be part of a new era of growth and progress for the Plasterers Union.