Tarlton & Son Inc. has joined DC16!

I’m proud to share that after a 30 plus year organizing campaign Tarlton & Son Inc. Has officially signed our Northern California Painters and Drywall Finisher Master Agreements and Addendums thereto and is now a signatory contractor with District Council 16 Local Union 294 International Union and Painters and Allied Trades effective December 15^., 2025.

Tarlton and Son Inc started out as a small lathing company out of the back yard of its founder Tom Tarlton. As the years passed Tom’s son Tommy who began his career working for his father on the scaffolding crew was handed over the operations of Tarlton and Son so Tom could focus more on the bidding process. Today Tommy Tarlton is the Chief Executive Officer of Tarlton and Son his President is Blaine Steel and his Director of Operations is Steven Wilhite. Tarlton and Son Inc has expanded and performs many trades besides lathing to name a few plastering, metal stud and drywall installation besides painting and drywall finishing. They currently employ approximately 200 trades persons under the crafts they perform and they are ambitious to grow under their current model and expand into other crafts.

For many years Tarlton and Son Inc has been on our radar. We have been on both sides of the organizing spectrum with Tarlton and Son with our most recent efforts being on top-down effort. Due to our efforts with the Local Building Trades negotiating Project Labor Agreements with the city of Fresno and with Fresno Unified School District we had an opportunity to actually work with Tarlton and Son on the Fresno International Airport Expansion PLA as they were awarded the Drywall Finishing on the project. The project had many challenges that both Tarlton and Son and DC16 LU294 had to overcome and we both met those challenges.

Our efforts along with the High-Performance High Value DC16 LU294 Journeymen and Apprentice Drywall Finishers that worked side by side with Tarlton and Son core employees on this project was final test for Tarlton and Son of our Union and our mutual success on the project was the ultimate deciding factor for Tarlton and Son to become partners with District Council 16.

Tarlton & Son’s decision to become signatory shows leadership. They recognize the value of a trained workforce, access to our apprenticeship and STAR programs, and the efficiency that comes with standardized work rules. This partnership allows Tarlton & Son to staff projects with confidence, meet demanding schedules, and compete successfully on PLA and non-PLA work alike.

This agreement proves that when unions and contractors work together, everyone benefits — the workers, the contractor, and the community.

Congratulations to Tarlton & Son, and thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

En unidad,

Jeffery B Roberts

Director regional

DC16/LU294/IUPAT