Twenty years ago, you could throw a list of services and a phone number on a one-page, static website and consider your business/organization to have an online presence. But over time, as we have increasingly turned to the internet as our first — and usually only — method of gathering information, we have also had to dynamically transform the way we assess a website’s value.

In order to keep up with technological advancements that allow for the best user experience, the lifespan of any website design is now typically considered to be around three to five years. And when your union’s website is needed to communicate vital information to members, like in the case of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, that user experience is everything.

That is why DC 6 has entrusted LaborTools powered by BMA Media Group to update and improve the usability and functionality of the organization’s website for its 20 Local Unions across Ohio and Northern Kentucky. About six years ago, BMA helped redesign the current DC 6 website and trained the organization’s staff to be able to manage and maintain it in the years since. As a complete site rebuild is about to begin, DC6 soon will be able to fully update their digital presence, which they use as a member communication and recruitment tool. 

BMA has taken into account the key features that the District Council leadership wants to update to better serve and inform its membership in the new design plans. A cleaner look and style will allow for a more intuitive site navigation and quick access so members can find certain information, as well as new forms and information so potential new members can quickly find information on how to become a member. The elimination of duplicated content and an updated private section will help make the site easy to maintain and make updates, while industry-leading security measures will help keep the site safe from hackers. And the all-important mobile optimization will help properly display the site on all devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs. 

BMA will also perform the following work on the project, as requested by DC 6 leadership:

  • Create an easy-to-use, interactive calendar 
  • Redesign a page to sign up for training classes, which provides confirmation emails to the member and designated training center administrators 
  • Update all online forms
  • Create a “Helping Hands” section for information about the District Council’s Employer Assistance Program 
  • Build a new “Join Us” section to help recruit apprentices, organize non-union construction workers, and recruit new signatory contractors
  • Update the Signatory Contractor section to include a searchable database
  • Create a “Members’ Showcase” to spotlight members, their work and volunteer efforts, and any other pertinent information
  • Update a “Meet the Team” section
  • Showcase images of members throughout the website
  • Build a password-protected members section for information on items such as pay rate, healthcare and retirement plans, and other union information not seen by the general public

As a signatory contractor to District Council 6, BMA Media Group is proud to have this opportunity to work on the site that will be viewed and used by our own employees, as well as our fellow union Brothers and Sisters. 

LaborTools powered by BMA Media Group has the experience and skills to create quality websites and ongoing marketing initiatives. Contact BMA to get started on your union website redesign today! 


LaborTools powered by BMA Media Group is used to help strengthen our union client’s organizations. From working with unions from the local level to the international, with training funds and labor management partnerships, as well as other labor organizations, BMA has experience with organizations of all sizes. We are here to create and implement unique and customized marketing campaigns for our clients.

At BMA, we offer services in the following categories: union event services (from writing the history of your union to executing the logistics of an event,) video production, website design, union marketing campaigns, print and broadcast advertising, social media management, development of print materials, building trades industry education, labor public relations and crisis management, union merchandise, as well as strategic >branding and >marketing of union organizations.

BMA Media Group is a Union Building Trades Contractor, signatory with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 673 and International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 6 / Sign Display and Allied Trades Local 639. BMA Media Group is also signatory with AFTRA and an affiliate contractor of the Cleveland Chapter of NECA.

Topics: Member Communications, BMA Media Group, Website, LaborTools, Union

Matt Jaworski

Written by Matt Jaworski