Oregon Tradeswomen’s Executive Director Reflects on Women’s History Month
During the month of March in the United States, we officially celebrate women who’ve dedicated their lives to create a better future as “Women’s History Month”, tracing the event beginnings back to the first International Women’s Day in 1911.
We take this time to honor the many women in our nation’s history who fought for justice, equality, and equity, including Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul. We honor our sisters in the labor movement who worked to ensure equal rights and equal pay in the workplace, such as Lucy Parsons, Mary Harris Jones, Leonora O’Reilly, Frances Perkins, Luisa Moreno, and Esther Peterson. We celebrate our sisters in more recent decades like Shirley Ware, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Mary Kay Henry, and others who continue to fight for our rights and for our future. We hold up the iconic symbol of our tradeswomen movement, Rosie the Riveter, reminding the world and ourselves, “We Can Do It!”.
Tradeswomen, 1981. © Bettye Lane
This month, Oregon Tradeswomen would like to take a moment to honor and acknowledge the incredible contributions tradeswomen make each and every day. Here in Portland, across our state, and throughout our nation, tradeswomen are still pioneers in industries like construction, transportation, manufacturing, and rail, working to care for their families and build our communities. Up early and home late, our sisters are not just working for a paycheck, they are working for change. They are active mentoring, volunteering, working in their unions, participating in committees, and serving as role models. They vote, they organize, they donate time, talent, and dollars to our tradeswomen movement to impact change. They raise their hands, their fists, and their voices. Yet often, our sisters are not heard.
In this era of #MeToo, we need to stand strong in our support of, and in solidarity with tradeswomen. For far too long, women working in our industry have experienced sexual harassment at an alarming rate, and often at great personal cost. According to a bipartisan 2016 report of the Co-Chairs of the EEOC Special Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace, 88 per cent of female construction workers experience sexual harassment at work, compared to 25 per cent of women in the general workforce. Women leave the construction sector at a faster rate than their male colleagues, according to a 2014 report by the National Women’s Law Center – noting that in some trades, 70 percent of women leave before completing their apprenticeship training program, compared to 53 percent of men. The women who leave point to hostile work environments and sexual harassment as reasons for exiting.
At Oregon Tradeswomen, we are working to change our industry and create a different future – not just for women, but for all of our workforce. We know that when worksites are equitable and respectful, all workers benefit, not just women. Industry benefits too – studies show a decrease in employee turnover, greater productivity, increased job satisfaction and loyalty, and overall improved performance. Our work includes the recent implementation of a new model for shifting jobsite culture, and is currently being implemented at the Multnomah County Courthouse project. This bystander intervention model is demonstrating promises outcomes in creating respectful worksites. It is providing tools for the construction workforce to speak up, speak out, and make a difference. We look forward to sharing more in the coming months on this model, and in the meantime, we ask you to join us in honoring tradeswomen not just this month, but every day.
Kelly Kupcak
Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen
Waterleaf Architecture’s International Women’s Day Fundraiser for Oregon Tradeswomen
Our generous friends at Waterleaf Architecture are celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day like they did last year; by kicking off a fundraiser for Oregon Tradeswomen! You may have seen some of Waterleaf’s work at Lloyd Center as they were responsible for the much-needed facelift of the mall including the three story spiral staircase that was an homage to the original iconic spiral staircase from the mall’s opening in 1960.
Waterleaf has always been so supportive of our mission and wants to make sure that our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class has the proper equipment for students to hone their skills in preparation for their apprenticeships! To participate in Waterleaf Architecture’s fundraiser, you can donate here! And don’t forget to mention Waterleaf in the “How did you hear about us?” section when making your donation so that they can track their fundraising goal. The fundraiser started on International Women’s Day, March 8th.
We send our deepest gratitude to Waterleaf Architecture for their ongoing support of our mission!
TACC Field Trip to Hampton Lumber!
In January, our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) had the opportunity to take a field trip to Hampton Lumber and tour their distribution center on SE Front St. here in Portland. TACC students got to have an inside look at what a day in Hampton Lumber’s transfer station is like. We saw the process as the workers cut the lumber to various sizes, package the lumber, and then load it on the rail cars. Students also talked with the staff about entry level work and the various jobs that are available at Hampton Lumber.
Founded in 1950, Hampton Lumber is privately owned by the Hampton Family with its headquarters here in Portland, Oregon. They own and operate 9 sawmills in Oregon, Washington, and even British Columbia. Hampton is deeply invested in each of the communities where they employ workers.
In each community, Hampton Lumber prioritizes affordable housing, youth and education, and the arts. They support organizations and causes by donating time and lumber to Habitat for Humanity, advocating for the arts in urban and rural communities, donating to the Oregon Food Bank and Adopt-a-Family, and working closely with local schools and colleges to not only provide workforce training opportunities, but create and maintain important relationships with the communities’ youth.
In addition to being patrons of their community, Hampton Lumber is an exceptional place of employment. Their employees are excited about the work they do and look forward to coming to their jobs every day. This enthusiasm creates a positive work environment that encourages worker retention. Because they care about their employees, Hampton Lumber provides many opportunities for education through training and apprenticeship.
Hampton Lumber is also dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the lumber industry and in the skilled trades in general. Hampton promotes a supportive workplace environment for everyone, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.
Those interested in finding out more about Hampton Lumber are highly encouraged to reach out and give them a call. The folks at Hampton Lumber are truly friendly and are more than willing to answer all of your questions as well as possibly show you around their facilities. Make that first move and come in to experience what Hampton Lumber is all about.
Don’t forget to check them out on Facebook!
Hands On Metal Fabrication at ADX Portland
TACC students learning how to assemble their frames
On Thursday, February 8, 2018, Oregon Tradeswomen’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) had the opportunity to get hands on experience with metal fabrication! Metal fabrication is the altering of raw materials by way of bending, cutting, welding, etc. in order to build structures. This hands on day happened at ADX Portland, a makerspace where people can share tools and knowledge, and take advantage of a huge facility with a wood shop, metal shop, print shop, and jewelry shop.
TACC students learning how to operate a Horizontal Band Saw
Our students were tasked with creating their own plaque stands. They were each given 5 sections of channel iron and learned how to cut and grind their materials. They used a horizontal band saw to cut, and a disc grinder to grind down and clean up the edges. Students learned the ever valuable lesson, “measure twice, cut once,” a carpenter’s proverb that also applies to metal fabrication. This rule is important to consider because it is, of course, faster to double check your measurements than cut incorrectly and have to waste time and resources making the cut again.
Measure twice, cut once!
Once each of the students prepped their materials, the class learned how to “tack weld” their iron segments together to make a frame. A tack weld is just a series of small welds spaced some distance apart. This type of weld is usually only a temporary step in the welding process, but it holds the assembled components in place and ensures their alignment which is all that is needed for a small project like a plaque stand. After the welds are complete, the students cleaned them up by gently using an angle grinder to smooth out any protruding material.
TACC students tacking their segments together
It was clear that our students were enthusiastic about learning to craft with metal and it was an added perk that they got to take home something that they build with their own two hands! Special thanks to ADX for allowing our students to learn about another great option for a career in their beautiful space.
Our students’ final product!
Oregon Tradeswomen Grads Working for Living Room Realty
Recently, Living Room Realty was searching to fill a brand new in-house Maintenance Coordinator position and out of the 7 women who applied, two stood out above the rest: Ash Jimenez, an Oregon Tradeswomen graduate, and Kathleen George, were so well received that Living Room Realty created a whole other maintenance position in order to keep them both!
Ash, whom Sarah remembered from the tradeswomen fashion show at Oregon Tradeswomen’s Annual Career Fair, took the role of Maintenance Coordinator and Kathleen, an experienced general contractor of 20 years and the owner of her own painting business, is their new Maintenance Manager.
Ash Jimenez at Oregon Tradeswomen’s “Build With Us: A Blue Collar Gala”
Living Room Realty is a female owned and almost all female-staffed local company that is committed to giving back to the community. Their owner, Jenelle Isaacson, and her Executive Assistant Sarah McBee met when they served together on the Board of Directors for the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls and are involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors around Portland.
Living Room Realty’s commitment to giving back to the community shines through in their work: they have a designated charitable giving fund called The Loving Room Fund that benefits three nonprofits for the year. The fund is currently committed to helping:
- P:ear, a nonprofit that creatively mentors homeless youth.
- Urban Gleaners, an organization that is dedicated to reducing waste by rescuing edible surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away and donating it to hungry children and their families.
- Oregon Wild, a nonprofit that works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlife, wild-lands, and waters.
We want to extend very well deserved congratulations to Ash and Kathleen as they embark on this new journey! BIG thanks to Living Room Realty for their support of Oregon Tradeswomen and the communities that make Oregon a wonderful place to live.
A World of Difference Features Oregon Tradeswomen
MediaLab, an applied research and media production organization affiliated with Pacific Lutheran University’s School of Arts and Communication, launched a new series, “A World of Difference,” where the producers explore gender, race, national origin, and ask the question, “How do we value difference?”
Each of the four episodes focuses on new topics in different cities. The second episode was filmed in Portland, and investigates gender, specifically in the construction industry. Women comprise a mere 3% of the national construction trades workforce, but in Oregon, nearly 7% of apprentices in the skilled trades are women.
Oregon Tradeswomen’s Executive Director, Kelly Kupcak, and Director of Training, Amy James Neel, had the opportunity to speak with MediaLab about this disparity and what Oregon Tradeswomen is doing to bridge the gap.
We are humbled by the opportunity to share with the world the work Oregon Tradeswomen does. We applaud MediaLab for their efforts to open a discussion recognizing the experiences of people in marginalized communities and what can be done to make a difference.
The series premier of “A World of Difference” took place on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at the Seattle Public Library. You can find the episodes available for rent or purchase on Vimeo.
Senator Ron Wyden Talks Infrastructure at Town Hall
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden held a press conference on Thursday, February 1, 2018, about the dire need for federal funding to fix roads and bridges not only in Oregon, but across the United States.
The press conference took place at the Marquam Bridge, one of the bridges in Multnomah County in need of structural reinforcement in the case of a seismic event. Nearly all of Oregon’s major construction unions were represented at the event, as well as Oregon Tradeswomen’s Executive Director, Kelly Kupcak.
Pictured from Left: Kelly Kupcak (Oregon Tradeswomen), Nicole Rappaport (Local 701), AJ Banuelos (Local 737), and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Wyden addressed President Trump’s purported intention to raise $1.5 trillion to fix our nation’s failing infrastructure. Senator Wyden said, “The way you improve bridges and roads and do all the great work these people do is with real federal dollars… We still haven’t heard from the president and the Republicans how that’s going to happen.”
Sources from the Trump administration claim that only $200 billion would come from the federal government, putting the pressure on state and local governments to raise the rest of the money. Since 2003, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been making major efforts to fix Oregon’s bridges and even with the $5.2 billion plan approved by state legislature in 2017 to invest in our infrastructure, federal aid is needed to truly strengthen our roads and bridges to the extent needed.
In 2009, Senator Wyden authored the bi-partisan Build America bonds program that successfully generated $181 billion for public works projects and created 3,500 jobs in Oregon. Now, the Senator is calling on the current administration to help fund the rebuilding of the nation’s infrastructure by endorsing a plan to use some of the $2.6 trillion coming back into America’s economy as a result of the tax cuts implemented in December 2017.
Investing in infrastructure not only improves our local and national economy by creating jobs and reliable mobility for people and businesses, but it is also a critical issue of public safety. We applaud Senator Wyden for his efforts in making sure that funding to maintain a strong infrastructure for our country is a priority for our government.
Donna Hammond to be Honored at LERC Black History Month Event
Donna Hammond (Photo from Portland Tribune)
The University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) is holding a special Black History Month Event!
Pioneering a Living Legacy:
Shaping Our Vision for Diversity and Inclusion in the Labor Movement
February 8, 2018
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
UO Portland
White Stag Building Room 142/144
70 NW Couch Street
Portland OR 97209
Click here to save your seat for this free event!
LERC will be honoring Donna Hammond for her continued efforts to make the trades a safer place for women, people of color, and other minorities. There will be a special viewing of the film “Sista in the Brotherhood” by Dawn Jones Redstone followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Roberta Hunt of Portland State University and honoree, Donna Hammond, Business Representative for IBEW 48.
Donna began her career in the trades 39 years ago as an apprentice electrician and became Oregon’s 2nd ever black woman to journey out as an electrician. During her time in the trades, Donna faced discrimination and harassment from her coworkers and even supervisors. As a result of her experiences during those 20 years where she was a union electrician, Donna took it upon herself to blaze a trail for marginalized people so that they could pursue a career in the skilled trades without fear of harassment.
Hammond joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) as their first black female Business Representative and negotiates contracts and inspects job sites among other things. Outside of her work there, she has been a member of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus for the past 22 years and has spent the past 3 years with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Not only that, but Donna Hammond played a key role in the development of our Pathways to Success program here at Oregon Tradeswomen.
We have immense respect for Donna and the impact she has made. Thank you for your continued work making the trades a safe place for women and diverse workers!
Isis Harris (front) and Donna Hammond (back) on National Women in Apprenticeship Day
Thank you for Supporting Oregon Tradeswomen in the Willamette Week Give!Guide!
Thank you for helping make Oregon Tradeswomen’s Give!Guide campaign such a success!
We are so grateful to have been included in the Willamette Week Give!Guide again in 2017 – a fantastic opportunity for local non-profits to reach new and long-time supporters alike.
All we can say is WOW and THANK YOU! We are completely blown away by the outpouring of generosity from all of you! Between November 1st and December 31st, we received 177 gifts totaling $19,960 – only $40 short of our goal of $20,000! These gifts will go a long way in the continued effort to increase the visibility of women in the trades and building their economic independence, from supporting the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) to offering career and leadership support as they grow in their Trade
A special thank you and round of high fives to our fabulous Oregon Tradeswomen Alumnae, who contributed an impressive $1,224!
As gifts began to come in, so too did the seriously heartwarming words of appreciation and support. Here are a few of our favorites:
“Thank you Oregon Tradeswomen! I have benefited greatly from your organization and mentorship and I am grateful for all of the work that you do!”
“Happy to support you all in any way I can. Thank you for the positive impact you make for the trades industry and women entering the field!”
“YOU ROCK.”
Thank you again to all of our supporters, whether you made a monetary donation, or donated your time, energy, and love to Oregon Tradeswomen and the work we’re doing together.
Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2018!
Looking Ahead to 2018!
As we begin 2018, Oregon Tradeswomen would like to thank our industry and community partners and supporters. Each of you contribute to changing the lives of the women we serve, and we are grateful for all that you do.
With your support, we are building our capacity to reach and serve more women each day. In 2017 we provided more than 1,000 women with career education and support to pursue a career in skilled trades in construction and manufacturing.
Because of your commitment, support, and generosity, Oregon Tradeswomen was able to provide 159 women with industry skills training, hundreds of women with job placement, access to registered apprenticeship, career counseling, supportive services, advocacy, and leadership development. Our work – with your support – ensured that women were able to move themselves and their families out of poverty and into prosperity. They have gained skills and confidence and community. They have been able to build a career and a future and a sisterhood. Thank you for making all of these things and more a reality for women in the Portland region and across Oregon.
As we begin this New Year, Oregon Tradeswomen invites you to continue to support our work, and to join us as we think and dream and do – bigger and bolder.
We have big changes underway – including the development of a three-year strategic plan, revamping of our decade old pre-apprenticeship training program, and expanding services. We are raising money to purchase our own building where we will house a training workshop, community space, on-site childcare, and low-income housing. We are building an advocacy platform to ensure positive changes for women and industry at the local, state and national level are realized. We are developing a mentoring program, expanding our services to rural communities and engaging new partners.
We invite you to join us as we build this vision and our future for the women, industry and community we serve.
With gratitude,
Kelly Kupcak, Executive Director