Ladies of LiUNA Empower Their Co-Workers of the Future

Three women who are all members of the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) recently sat down with us to talk about the union’s commitment to supporting girls and women entering the construction trades or looking for advancement into leadership positions.  They are anticipating active engagement at the Empower Women’s Leadership Conference in early March in Ridgefield, WA — where strong women will “lean in” to careers in the construction and marine trades. They will celebrate the success they’ve experienced and inspire others by showcasing training and employment opportunities.

Outreach Leaders

DeAnn Fields is a marketing rep for the Northwest Regional Organizing Coalition (NROC) and a member of Laborers Local 335.  Tawny Sayers is an apprenticeship co-ordinator with Northwest Laborers and a member of Local 242.  Christina Riley is a construction marketing rep for national LECET/labor-contractor partnerships and a proud member of Local 252.

Christina described pre-apprenticeship programs and personalized outreach efforts “to find ladies that will want to work with their hands… who want to make a change…and we know they’re capable of it.”  Trade careers range from ironworker/boilermaker to laborer, electrician, carpenter, welder and plumber.

Women, as union workers in construction, “have the ability to buy our own homes, own our own vehicles, pay for our own trucks” and enjoy comprehensive benefits as well, says Christina.  She said that it’s cool to mentor girls as they first use tools they thought were too scary, heavy or dangerous. They feel empowered when they realize just how capable they are.  Artificial barriers to a prosperous future and the valuable work they can do come tumbling down.

Tawny talked about how, when she was still in school, she was expected “to go out and buck hay and toss firewood around” but when it came to career choices, it was all about the same traditional things that women were always directed toward, like administrative office support, nursing and teaching.

Girls and Women Need Info About Work Opportunities “Outside the Box”

Tawny mentioned working with the TRAC pre-apprenticeship program at Purdy Prison that prepares women who are close to their release date to get ready to enter the workforce successfully.  She also talked about outreach to 8th graders in Spokane via the Women in the Trades careers day event called ‘Pizza, Pop and Power Tools.’ Tawny admits that the work’s not easy, but it’s “fulfilling and rewarding” and there’s a nice gender equity component for girls and women. They will get paid the same as the guys are for the same work.

DeAnn told us that it’s been very beneficial to reach out to high schools and trade schools to educate not only students, but their teachers and administrators, about how girls can “earn as they learn” in the trades and do not necessarily have to go to college before getting a good job with a living wage. DeAnn referred to the “badge of honor” she held when she “took that road” to pursue a career in the trades.

Tawny said the first step for each girl or young woman is to discover which of the crafts they personally are most interested in. Then they fill out an application demonstrating that they meet basic minimum education and physical requirements. Next is training, often in a pre-apprenticeship program, such as ANEW, to become eligible for dispatching to the field.  Tawny also mentioned the Washington Women in Trades group that’s active in the King County area.

Christina recalls that it took a long time to get local high schools to recognize apprenticeship and trades as a desirable pathway for many of their students, including girls. She pointed out that social media around women’s conferences and construction conferences helps to spread the word, and Tawny noted that LiUNA ladies have their own Facebook page.  Christina praised the efforts of industry suppliers like Carhartt, the work wear and footwear vendor, to capture attention to the culture change welcoming girls and women into construction.

Christina highlighted the Pierce County Construction Career Day, which has a “whole section just for the girls.”  She said, “this way, their comfort levels are not altered by boys being around!”  Christina also talked about their first “Building Diversity Day” in which girls visited an asphalt plant and construction job sites.  They attended a panel discussion and got to ask tough questions about the different crafts, what the real hardships are and what the real benefits are. 

Networking at Women’s Conferences Recommended

One of the most common barriers to a fulltime career for new workers is childcare, but Tawny explains that when women start sharing their experiences and ideas about what works for them, at conferences designed just for them, it helps them reach their career goals.  She says networking at conferences with union reps and business managers about available opportunities is a huge advantage.

Laborers apprenticeship neared 20% female participants, which is better than the overall construction industry. There’s still a lot of work to do and progress to be made.  Another growth initiative mentioned is a partnership between Northwest Laborers and the Girl Scouts of America.

Finally, DeAnn advised that community colleges and technical schools should invest in advertising about training and jobs for girls in the construction trades. Christina suggests producing short videos of women working in various construction jobs that bring to life how “realistic” a pathway it is.  She noted that apprenticeship coordinators in Oregon use such videos, and implied they would be useful at the upcoming Empower Women’s Leadership Conference.

Tawny said it’s important for them to keep “educating the educators” because of the high turnover in contact people at schools who are responsible for engagement with the construction trades.  The message to schools is: “Let everybody explore all the opportunities that are out there and not try to pigeonhole people into specific things” like gender stereotyped roles or exclusively academic tracks. Christina tells us “No job is too hard, too dirty, or too wet” that we aren’t willing to complete it, “because all of us, through thick and thin, love our work.”