Community Partners
Building on a Mission
Oregon Tradeswomen was founded on principles that women should have access to training, education, and career pathways in blue-collar industries as a means to economic self-sufficiency. Beginning in the 1970s, women began to organize nationally to impact federal public policy, as well as at the local level to bring about much needed changes for women working in the skilled trades and other “nontraditional” jobs. Here in Portland, a small support group was founded in 1989, led by four tradeswomen, (an elevator constructor, two carpenters and an operating engineer), later forming Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., in 1999. That elevator constructor was Connie Ashbrook, founding Executive Director, who built the organization from its early foundation to where it stands today – an integral nonprofit partner working to ensure access, opportunity, and equity for women across our community and the country as a whole.
After dedicating her life’s work to the organization and to the tradeswomen movement, Connie Ashbrook retired this summer, building a foundation and legacy of which she can be extremely proud. All of us at Oregon Tradeswomen are honored and grateful that Connie has graciously committed to continue to contribute her time, talent, and expertise as Executive Director Emeritus, contributing to special projects for Oregon Tradeswomen as we move our work and vision forward.
As the new Executive Director, I am excited to be a part of Oregon Tradeswomen, and the tremendous community of which we are a member. As Connie “passed the torch” to me just a few short weeks ago, I have reflected on the privilege that comes with being engaged in work you love, for which you have a passion, and for being able to help make the world a better place. I recognize the big shoes I must try to fill in carrying this important work forward. While I don’t know everything, I do know that this community has shown dedicated support of the great work of Oregon Tradeswomen and that the work of our mission cannot be done alone.
In that, we invite you to continue to build with us, as we set a bold vision for our future. In the coming year we look forward to expanding our programming across Oregon to reach more women – especially those in rural communities. Deepening our commitment and our reach into our communities of color as we adopt and implement a racial justice plan. Forging new relationships with industry stakeholders in manufacturing, transportation, and other nontraditional occupations and industries to increase opportunities for women. Increasing our capacity to provide technical assistance to support our partners in achieving diversity, inclusion, and equity. Responding to the new challenges and opportunities in our community through engaged and intentional collaboration. Building a shared wealth creation model so all the members of our community may prosper. Please join us as we move forward with a bold vision for change. I look forward to doing good work together.
In solidarity,
Kelly
Announcing the Maven Scholarship Fund
Moxie and Moss Workwear (20% off)!
Moxie and Moss Workwear is a line of apparel that is made for working women by working women. They have been field testing their signature work pant – the ‘Maven’ – with tradeswomen around the U.S. for the past year, and development is based on feedback from working women, including OTI carpenters, Mercy and Britt, pictured above. You can see more photos of them – and other tradeswomen testing out the pants – on the Moxie and Moss blog. Moxie and Moss are dedicated partners of OTI, and are proud to contribute 5% of their sales to the OTI Maven Scholarship Fund.
Moxie and Moss plans to have a whole line of workwear for women. They are launching their business with a pre-order sale, their own version of a Kickstarter, with delivery of the pants in September. By pre-ordering now, you are helping start a company that delivers on both form and function for women. The success of this pre-sale will enable them to grow their brand and product offering. Use discount code OTI20 for 20% off through the end of July at: www.moxieandmoss.com
Thank you to Rovente Pizzeria!
Here at OTI we love Rovente Pizzeria! Their kind staff has generously agreed to work with our small budget to provide delicious pizza for our quarterly speed mentoring events.
In early May, our current Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class students and 13 tradeswomen who came straight from work to share their wisdom about the construction trades industry came hungry, but everyone was happy and full by the end of the night!
We are so grateful to community members like the folks at Rovente Pizzeria who provide us with such generous support! Thank you so much!
TACC Field Trip to the Operating Engineers Training Center!
On Wednesday, April 12th, OTI’s current group of Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class students had a fabulous field trip to the Operating Engineers training center! The students heard from Brenda Bartholomew, who was an operator and is now an instructor at the training center. The students were also shown a short film that focused on the portrayal of female Operating Engineers who work in the industry and on what they love about the work they do.
Students had the opportunity to look at the text books and some of the survey equipment used by operating engineer apprentices in the classroom and afterwards they got to try their hand at operating some of the heavy machinery; including 2 cranes, loaders, and a forklift, among other pieces of equipment. Current apprentices had the opportunity to teach our students how to operate the machinery and gave our students lots of time to ask questions. It was awesome to see students teaching students! Before this field trip most of the students had not considered a career as a Heavy Equipment Operator and they now consider it an option. Needless to say, our students had a great experience on this field trip and have given a lot of positive feedback. Special thanks to the Operator Engineers Training Center staff and apprentices for taking the time to help our students learn about another great option for a career in the construction trades!
An International Women’s Day Gift from Waterleaf Achitecture
In honor of International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2017, staff at Waterleaf Architecture set a goal of raising $1,000 within one week to support our Pathways to Success program and to show their support for our work in increasing the number of women in the construction trades in our state!
Ellen Krusi, now a Waterleaf Job Captain, wrote the following quote about her experience attending our Annual Women in Trades Career Fair as a high school student;
“When I was in high school I attended the Women in Trades Career Fair put on by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. I was inspired by the idea that one day the construction sites I would be visiting would be populated by an equal mix of men and women. Unfortunately today it is still rare to see a woman out there doing the “dirty work” on construction sites. (Cheers to those I know who are out there!) I know it’s not because women aren’t capable or willing. That’s why I’m proud to support this organization to get women the training they need to do these important jobs!”
We love that Ellen’s experience has stuck with her over the years and are so grateful to have been chosen as the recipient of this kind gesture! Check out the amazing work the folks over at Waterleaf Architecture are creating!
OTI Alumnae Spotlight: Ash Jimenez
We were so excited to see OTI alumnae, Ash Jimenez, featured in the spring 2017 edition of Portland Community College Communities! In an article titled Made of Metal: Forging the path for a new generation of women welders, Ash talks about her path to a career in the trades industry and where she sees herself headed in the future.
Ash graduated our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class in 2015 and was able to attend thanks to a generous scholarship provided by Metro. After graduation, Ash got a job with REACH Community Development, as a maintenance technician making $17/hour. While Ash enjoyed her job and the financial stability it offered, she knew she wanted to continue to hone her construction skills in order to advance her career and was particularly interested in learning more about welding.
The author of the article, Celeste Hamilton Dennis, writes
“When she (Ash) found out about a new scholarship opportunity to continue her studies at PCC, she knew she had to go for it. “I’ve never welded before. I didn’t know if I’d even like it, if I’d be good at it, or if I could ever do it”, she said. “Luckily I’m very stubborn so that helped.” Jimenez is the first recipient of a new PCC Foundation scholarship created by prominent community leader and educational champion Evelyn Crowell. The scholarship supports students who are underrepresented in the trades, including women and students of color. Jimenez couldn’t be prouder to carry on Evelyn’s legacy as a trailblazer for women. “I can’t disappoint all these people who are so proud of me,” she said.”
This scholarship enabled Ash to study welding at the PCC/Vigor Maritime Welding Center, where she attended night classes in order to learn TIG welding. When asked why she chose welding she said, “I love that welding is definitely not a woman’s world,” she said. “I like knowing I’m continuing to break through.”
Dennis also writes, “Much of Oregon’s aging welding workforce is expected to retire, leaving a gap for a new generation to step up and take their place” and graduates like Ash “are able to exit the program prepared for a living wage career as a welder whose work will literally create the steel bones of ships, barges, buildings, and bridges”.
“Jimenez’s ultimate dream after completing the program is to weld stainless steel fermentation tanks for brewers and winemakers”, what an awesome dream! In the meantime though, we were proud to hear that Ash’s hard work has paid off and she has accepted full time work with Steelab as a Welder and Fabricator.
Ash’s success has been earned by her hard work and determination, but it is also a great example of what can be achieved when women are provided the information, training and support needed to enter nontraditional careers.
You can find the full article online in the spring 2017 edition of Portland Community College Communities!
2017 Construction Equity Day
On February 23rd, staff and students from Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Portland Youth Builders, and Constructing Hope bused down to the State Capitol in Salem, OR for Construction Equity Day! This group of 80 people spent their day educating State Legislators about the importance of pre-apprenticeship programs and advocating for their continued funding. Measure 98, which promotes Career and Technical Education (CTE) and SB 292/HB 2167, which focuses on reducing bullying and harassment in the workplace, were also a major focus of advocacy efforts. Students had more than 20 scheduled meetings with legislators and navigated them with confidence; sharing their personal stories about how the trades industry has changed their lives. Some highlights for students included listening to a speech from Tim Frew, the Executive Secretary of the Oregon Building and Construction Trades Council, and meeting with Tina Kotek, Speaker of the House as well as Democratic Representative, Tawna Sanchez.
We at OTI are so proud of our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) students. They, along with the other students in attendance, led with power and demonstrated how to use their “construction voices” to advocate for the necessity of creating a more diverse workforce. The success of the day is truly owed to them! Special thanks to Alice Bartlett from the League of Women Voters for speaking with students about the importance of lobbying and legislation and to the Multnomah County Bar Foundation for providing the funding to make this event possible.
We would also like to thank our four legislative meeting leaders who just graduated from the most recent Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class. These students spent time preparing for this day and led their peers in developing their stories and meeting with Legislators – Nora Aguilar, Freedom Moreno, Nora Sackett, and Sumer Smith.
Visitors from Korea Learn about OTI’s Training Program!
A few weeks ago at Oregon Tradeswomen, we were honored to host 4 women from Korea who are leaders in journalism-print and television, government, and environmental policy. We had an engaging conversation about OTI’s pre-apprenticeship program and OTI staff answered all of their thoughtful questions about construction in the western part of the United States.
After our wonderful conversation about the construction trades, we suited up in our personal protection equipment (PPE: hand-hats, safety glasses, and ear protection) and took a walk to see OTI’s pre-apprenticeship students in action. We were lucky enough to see OTI’s class during their first “hands-on day” and got to see students learning to use a variety of tools including: jigsaw, chopsaw, table saw, safety lifts, and more! During a break for our hard working students, the Korean visitors had a chance to ask questions and hear directly from women planning to enter careers in construction. One of our students even got to practice her Korean language skills!
The Korean visitors were thrilled to meet our students and as staff, we are always excited to tell stories of how our graduates are breaking down barriers and shattering glass ceilings and concrete floors!
Community Event: An Oregon Agenda for Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice
OTI staff members Emma Brennan and Brynn Hall attended the Oregon Agenda for Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice on December 1st. The event was held at the historic First Baptist Church on Vancouver Avenue and was put on by Oregon’s Fair Shot for All Coalition and the Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA) with the goal of reaffirming our community’s commitment to racial and economic justice.
Amidst the political turmoil our country is facing during the post-election season, Kathy Wai of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon urged audience members to continue the fight for equality stating that “our resistance and solidarity is crucial” during this time. Further powerful speeches were heard from Amira Streeter of the Urban League of Portland, Nancy Haque of Basic Rights Oregon, and Tom Chamberlain of the Oregon AFL-CIO.
A bold 2017 legislative agenda was announced with the hopes that Oregon can continue to lead the country in it’s fight for racial, gender, and economic justice for all Oregonians.
- Cover all Kids promises insurance coverage for all Oregon children so they can thrive in school and start on a pathway to success in their lives.
- End Profiling aims change the culture of policing in Oregon to make neighborhoods safer and communities stronger by funding and creating the system needed to identify patterns of profiling and enacting accountability mechanisms to address profiling when it occurs.
- Paid Family Medical Leave will ensure that Oregonians can welcome a new child or take care of their own or their family member’s serious health needs without losing the income their family relies on.
- Reproductive Health Equity will ensure that preventative reproductive health coverage is available at zero out of pocket cost for the people who have been categorically excluded from health programs due to citizenship status and/or gender expression.
- Stable Homes for Oregon Families will prevent no-cause evictions and repeal the ban on rent stabilization in order to help working families maintain housing stability and curb homelessness.
It was inspiring to see the community come together to fight for racial, gender, and economic equity and it is our belief that this legislative agenda will positively affect tradeswomen and their families. Visit the Fair Shot for All website for more information about how to get involved to make Oregon a state where everyone has opportunity.
Rock against the TPP
Fight for the Future, Firebrand Records, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, and a large coalition of labor, environmental, and social justice groups are organizing Rock Against the TPP, a nationwide series of large-scale educational concert events to raise awareness about the dangers of this agreement.
The tour will be in Portland, OR on August 20th at Director Park with a concert featuring popular punk band Anti-Flag, Golden Globe nominated actress Evangeline Lilly, bilingual dance-rock band Downtown Boys, Shihasin of the Navajo Nation, Afro-Latin reggae vocalist Taina Asili, and more. There will also be a teach-in before the concert and Evangeline Lilly will host a training on How to Fight the TPP on Sunday, August 21st at 1pm at the First Unitarian Church. All events are free, all ages, and wheelchair accessible.
As you likely know, the TPP is a massive trade deal (like NAFTA) that was negotiated in complete secrecy with hundreds of lobbyists from large corporations setting the agenda. It poses a serious threat to our basic democratic process as well as jobs, the environment, internet freedom, human rights, food safety, and more.
Visit Rock Against the TPP for more information.