Events
OTI Hosts Global Women Leaders Discussion
On February 10, 2016 OTI was honored to host a group of 20 women from 20 different countries. These women were visitors to the U.S. through the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
According to the Department of State, the goals for this group are to:
- Examine the U.S. political system and women’s participation at the local, state, and national levels;
- Explore programs and initiatives that encourage young women to become involved in politics, run for office, and run effective campaigns;
- Introduce the role of women’s organizations in shaping political dialogue and convey an understanding of effective interaction and support among women across various sectors;
- Gain insight to legislation and programs that promote equal pay and fair treatment for women in the workplace and promote the value of women’s contributions in the home and as primary caregivers for the young and the elderly; and
- Introduce initiatives and legislation that address women’s needs in the areas of health and education.
OTI staff Leigh McIlvaine and Tiffany Thompson really enjoyed presenting to this incredible group of women. During their hour with the group they explained construction apprenticeship, OTI’s Programs, and the larger advocacy work of both OTI and the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues. They also covered some brief information about International Tradeswomen work including a 2015 Calendar featuring tradeswomen from across the world (our own AJ Banuelos was featured as May!), Susan Moir’s Fulbright Scholarship researching women in the trades in India, and women in the Trades and Civil Engineering in Japan.
The second half of the visit was spent in open discussion about OTI’s work and women working in the trades in other nations. These women leaders were incredible and insightful; discussion topics included from maternity leave, union political power, cultural perceptions of women working as manual laborers, and fighting myths about the value of blue collar work. Many of the women shared that this was the first time they had a chance to talk about women working in the construction industry and they were excited to think about career opportunities for women in a different way. OTI is certainly looking forward to questions from them in the future about advocating for tradeswomen in their countries!
If you are interested, you can see the full list of visitors below:
Participant List Women in Pol & Social Sectors (MRP).
If you didn’t make it to the 2016 Annual Meeting…
We missed you! Hopefully, you can join us next year – in January, 2017!
As happens each year, Connie shared OTI’s accomplishments from 2015. The short summary version is that it was a very busy year for staff. If you want the more detailed version, well, you are going to have to wait a little longer. We are going to be releasing an annual report later this year and we don’t want to spoil all that hard work!
A critical piece of the Annual Meeting is voting in board members for their two year terms for both new and continuing board members. This year Aida Aranda and Stephanie Peters extended the terms of their board service, and Emily Wigre joined OTI’s Board of Directors!
Sometimes when we welcome someone new, we also have to say goodbye to someone else. After two terms of service, Cari Ebbert decided it was time for her to transition to a new role. She shared her passion for OTI, particularly the important role she feels the organizations plays in creating a community of tradeswomen who support each other. Cari is not a graduate of OTI’s TAC Class, but talked about volunteering for her union at the Women in Trades Career Fair every year. Once she realized that OTI coordinated the entire event, she began to volunteer with us as well! Thank you so much Cari for all of your time and dedication. We look forward to seeing you at OTI events and supporting us in new ways in the future.
We wrapped up the evening by recognizing our 2015 Outstanding volunteers and by holding a raffle. Believe it or not, Jen Netherwood was a winner again! Between hard work and good luck, we suspect she will be running the world soon. Overall, there were 61 people in attendance representing 19 different trades!
See you next year!
Support & Network Meetings for Women Who Served
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) will host a series of meetings for women who served/women veterans. These support and network meetings will take place quarterly at OTI’s offices from 6:00 – 7:30 pm.
- Wednesday, February 24, 2016
- Wednesday, June 1, 2016
- Wednesday, August 31, 2016
- Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Any and all women with military experience, Active Reserve or National Guard Service, and all who support women veterans are welcome to attend.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
3934 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite #101
Portland Oregon 97212
Enter the building from Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Free parking in the lot behind the building.
Light refreshments and coffee will be served.
Contact us with any questions:
503.335.8200 x 21
info@oregontradeswomen.org
2016 Women Build the Nation
Registration is open for the 2016 Women Build the Nation! It is going to be in Chicago this year – the first time the event will be held outside of California. Registrations and hotel rooms are going quickly. If you are looking forward to the event, now is the time to register! The conference takes place from April 29 – May 1, 2016. Registrations received by February 29 will only cost $100, (with a $15 discount for North American’s Building Trade Unions affiliates!).
We know many tradeswomen in Oregon really want to attend, but are wondering how to afford it? Your employer or union might sponsor you to attend. Asking early this month is a great idea so that you can offer them the best deal with early bird registration. Don’t forget to ask for wage replacement too!
If you aren’t sure how to go about asking for this support, don’t worry, Women Build the Nations is looking out for you. They have example requests, details about the conference value, and information on how to make a motion from the floor to help you out!
If you want some extra support from Oregon Tradeswomen, reach out to Tiffany and set something up!
Annual Meeting – January 28
Save the Date for Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s Annual Meeting
Thursday January 28, 2016
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
4534 SE McLoughlin Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202
Join us!
Come and spend an evening with OTI staff and all of the tradeswomen you haven’t seen for awhile. It is a big gathering to kick off the new year!
Delicious Food!
OTI will be providing food for you to enjoy. No host bar.
Prizes!
What? Yes, this year OTI will have a raffle of some great items. Including a pair of binoculars, an energy audit by Enhabit, CDs, t-shirts, coffee cups, and more!
We hope to see you there!
Congratulations Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class Graduates!
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. cordially invites you to attend our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class Graduation!
Date:
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Time:
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Location:
The Auditorium
PCC Metro Workforce Training Center
5600 NE 42nd Avenue
Portland OR 97218
Click for the street address on Google Maps
Light appetizers & cake will be served
Fall 2015 TACC Graduates and Their Trade Goal
Cherokee Andrade – Tree Trimmer
Ashley Cooper – Sheet Metal Worker
Debra Crowley – Carpenter
Ali Foster – Carpenter
Felicity “Fuzz” Jackson – Carpenter
Hannah Johnsen – Carpenter
Bre Lackey – Sheet Metal Worker
Alex Mays – Electrician
Jamie Metcalf – Environmental Remediation
Rachel Meyer – Tree Trimmer
Carlee Ogle – Carpenter
Sara Quinn – Electrician
Yolanda Sandoval – Electrician
Maija Schurter – Carpenter
Misty Sedotal – Carpenter
Mercy Shammah – Carpenter
Crystal Siltman – Sheet Metal Worker
Rose Swartz – Carpenter
Kelsey Wollam – Pile Driver
Funding for our program is provided by:
Advantis GROW Community Fund, Bank of America, The Boeing Company, Construction Apprenticeship & Workforce Solutions, Inc. (CAWS), the Environmental Protection Agency, H.W. Irwin and D.C.H. Irwin Foundation, Hoover Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente Community Fund at the Northwest Health Foundation, Multnomah Bar Foundation Multnomah County, Oregon Department of Transportation, Pacific Power Foundation, Penney Family Fund, a member of The Common Counsel Foundation, the Portland Development Commission’s Economic Opportunity Program, Stimson-Miller Foundation, The TJX Foundation, U.S. Bank, The Portland Water Bureau and Hoffman Construction through the Community Benefit Agreement, Wells Fargo, Women’s Bureau–U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Foundation of Oregon, Worksystems, Inc., industry donations, and individual tradeswomen and supporters.
National Women in Apprenticeship Day Social Media Campaign
It’s great that you are as excited as we are about National Women in Apprenticeship Day, Thursday November 5, 2015. Thank you for joining us to make the presence of women in apprenticeship known far and wide. We all know that apprenticeship itself is a very misunderstood concept and within that system, women are unseen. In order to bring this issue to the forefront, we have some tips for a Facebook post to contribute to the campaign and a national conversation. The tips below will give you a chance to let your friends and family know what you do, while connecting to other tradeswomen to create a larger impact!
Anatomy of the Facebook Campaign Post:
In order for you post to have the most effect, make sure that you specify for these posts to be ‘public’.
The Photo:
For this campaign, let’s show the world that women in apprenticeship work! Include a photo (or a video if you have it) of yourself on a job site or doing trades work. Here are some samples to inspire you!
The Text:
You should talk about your experience, your life, your apprenticeship. You want to let your networks know what you do and what that means to you! So, we aren’t crafting your post for you. However, here are some tidbits we are trying to highlight:
- Announce the first ever National Women in Apprenticeship Day, Thursday, November 5th, 2015
- Explain that apprenticeship means you get an education and paid on the job training!
- Talk about getting a life-long career, not just a job
- Share your story, about how apprenticeship changed your life
- Let folks know that women only comprise 3% of apprentices, nationally
The ‘Hashtag’ (or the connection to a larger campaign!):
Hashtags are an important and essential part of creating a Facebook campaign. When you tag organizations or include hashtags, the connected flurry of activity means that those posts get seen more frequently. Then more people share your post, and the impact grows! So, don’t forget to include some hashtags.
- Essential Hashtags:
- @OregonTradeswomenInc
- #WomenInApprenticeship
- Hashtags for Extra Lift:
- #Tradeswomen
- #NAW2015
- #20PercentBy2020
- Tagging to Bring Your Union/Employer into the Circle:
- Like your employer or local union and use – @EmployerFacebookAccountName
- Like your international union and use – @InternationalUnionFacebookAccountName
Take it to the next level!
Add the Twibbon look to your Facebook and/or Twitter Account:
Over the past couple of months, you may have seen people change their profile pictures to have an overlay image. Maybe it was for Planned Parenthood with a pink picture that said “#StandwithPP” or Domestic Violence Awareness with a purple tint and a ribbon. Well, we now have a Twibbon for Women in Apprenticeship! It is a white hardhat that will go over the top of your current profile picture on either Facebook or Twitter. To use this, go to Twibbon and search “Women in Apprenticeship”. Click on the link and allow it to access your Facebook or Twitter and the website will take care of the rest for you!
Bring the Conversation to Twitter:
For those of you who are active on Twitter already you can craft a short post ( I am #WomenInApprenticeship). Here are some rough ideas for people to tag that you could use on Twitter (in addition to those above!):
Your State Governor, State Labor Commissioner, or State Department of Labor
US Department of Labor, Valerie Jarrett (Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls), Labor Secretary Perez
Together, we can use National Women in Apprenticeship Day to really bring tradeswomen to the forefront!
How To: Facebook Campaign for Oregon Women in Apprenticeship Day
It’s great that you are as excited as we are about National Women in Apprenticeship Day, Thursday November 5, 2015. Thank you for joining us to make the presence of women in apprenticeship known far and wide. We all know that apprenticeship itself is a very misunderstood concept and within that system, women are unseen. In order to bring this issue to the forefront, we have some tips for a Facebook post to contribute to the campaign and a national conversation. The tips below will give you a chance to let your friends and family know what you do, while connecting to other tradeswomen to create a larger impact!
Anatomy of the Facebook Campaign Post:
In order for you post to have the most effect, make sure that you specify for these posts to be ‘public’.
The Photo:
For this campaign, let’s show the world that women in apprenticeship work! Include a photo (or a video if you have it) of yourself on a job site or doing trades work. Here are some samples to inspire you!
The Text:
You should talk about your experience, your life, your apprenticeship. You want to let your networks know what you do and what that means to you! So, we aren’t crafting your post for you. However, here are some tidbits we are trying to highlight:
- Announce National Women in Apprenticeship Day, 11/5/15
- Explain that apprenticeship means you get an education and paid on the job training!
- Talk about getting a life-long career, not just a job
- Share your story, about how apprenticeship changed your life
- Let folks know, that women only comprise 3% of the trades, nationally
- You can support women in apprenticeship with a donation to your local tradeswomen organization, like Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Donors who give a minimum of $10, today, will be eligible to be chosen to win 4 lower-level tickets to a Trailblazers game PLUS a signed jersey from a starter! Learn more at www.tradeswomen.net/donate.
The ‘Hashtag’ (or the connection to a larger campaign!):
Hashtags are an important and essential part of creating a Facebook campaign. When you tag organizations or include hashtags, the connected flurry of activity means that those posts get seen more frequently. Then more people share your post, and the impact grows! So, don’t forget to include some hashtags.
- Essential Hashtags:
- @OregonTradeswomenInc (In order to do this, make sure you already like our Facebook Page.)
- @TradeswomenTaskforce
- #WomenInApprenticeship
- Hashtags for Extra Lift:
- #Tradeswomen
- #NAW2015
- #GiveGuide
- #20PercentIn2020
- Hashtags to Bring Your Union/Employer into the Circle:
- Like your employer or local union and use – @EmployerFacebookAccountName
- Like your international union and use – @InternationalUnionFacebookAccountName
Take it to the next level!
Add the Twibbon look to your Facebook and/or Twitter Account:
Over the past couple of months, you may have seen people change their profile pictures to have an overlay image. Maybe it was for Planned Parenthood with a pink picture that said “#StandwithPP” or Domestic Violence Awareness with a purple tint and a ribbon. Well, we now have a Twibbon for Women in Apprenticeship! It is a white hardhat that will go over the top of your current profile picture on either Facebook or Twitter. To use this, go to Twibbon and search “Women in Apprenticeship”. Click on the link and allow it to access your Facebook or Twitter and the website will take care of the rest for you!
Bring the Conversation to Twitter:
For those of you who are active on Twitter already you can craft a short post ( I am a woman in apprenticeship). Here are some rough ideas for extra hashtags that you could use on twitter (in addition to those above!):
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, Oregon Apprenticeship and Training Division
USDOL, US Women’s Bureau, Labor Secretary Perez
Together, we can use National Women in Apprenticeship Day to really bring tradeswomen to the forefront!
Recap: Storytelling and Workshops
As most of you know, we started a new partnership this year with Back Fence PDX. B. Frayn Masters, Mindy Nettifee, and Liz Olufson saw the importance of tradeswomen’s stories and jumped right into creating a storytelling event for OTI! Most folks don’t think twice about how much work an event involves from planning to recruiting to donations and every other little detail. The dedicated staff at Back Fence were there for us, every single step of the way, it was the type of partnership a non-profit dreams about.
This fabulous partnership led to the development of an exciting, appealing event. Demand from the community was even higher than we had expected, Back Fence and OTI fielded dozens of calls from people trying to get tickets at the last minute. We wish that every single person could have joined us, and that is why we hope to replicate this event next year. If you missed the event, you can watch videos from each of the story tellers online:
Sarah Heidler
Laurie Suchan
Jen Netherwood
Bea Jenkins
Of course, the event would not have been such a success without the support of the tradeswomen who took a big risk to get on stage. We are so thankful to Sarah Heidler, Jen Netherwood, Laurie Suchan, Jodi Tillinghast, and Bea Jenkins. Hopefully, some of you are considering telling a story next year!
Friday night was a fun way to bond before we launched into the workshops for the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute. Tradeswomen volunteers, staff from AFSCME, the AFLCIO, and from LERC taught eight workshops for 47 women in attendance. We kicked off the morning with a tour of Benson High School focused on their trades and manufacturing training. Did you know that approximately every two years, the students at Benson design and build a house from the ground up?
Marilee McCall inspired us all with her keynote address. She opened her life to us and shared her path to becoming Mayor Pro-Tem in Woodland, Washington. Marilee was heartfelt in telling her personal journey. Now, she faces challenges regularly for being a woman in leadership but it doesn’t slow her down and she revealed her own secret for dealing with Naysayers. Thanks to Marilee (and Bea for the connection) for showing us one path to leadership.
None of this would have even been possible if it weren’t for the amazing women on our planning committee: Anjeanette Brown, Maddie Ettlin, Irais Gandarilla, Sarah Heidler, Kadence Jimenez, Bea Jenkins, Leigh Jenkins, and Jodi Tillinghast.
Thank you all so much and we look forward to an even more amazing Tradeswomen Leadership Institute in 2016!
9th Annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute
Where is the best place in Oregon to get together with other tradeswomen? Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute (TLI) of course!! This year the event will be Friday September 25 and Saturday September 26. Some of you already know all about this, so if you are eager to register, you can do so now!
We start out on Friday night with a celebration for tradeswomen, which includes a social hour and a special event: Tradeswomen Stories! Five tradeswomen will be on stage telling their true stories live. If you register for TLI you automatically get one ticket free but you are encouraged to bring friends and family! Additional tickets are for sale for $15.
The Tradeswomen Leadership Institute facilitates the leadership development, advocacy skills, and unity among all women (union, open shop, self-employed and otherwise) working in the building, construction, mechanical and utility trades. 2015 will mark the 9th annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute, planned by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), the University of Oregon’s Labor Education Research Center (LERC), and a dedicated committee of tradeswomen volunteers. This year committee members were: Barbara Byrd, Irais Gandarilla, Anjeanette Brown, Leigh Jenkins, Maddie Ettlin, Sarah Heidler, Lori Baumann, Bea Jenkins, Kadence Jimenez, Jodi Tillinghast, and Becki Yanosko. We are so grateful for all of the time they put into planning and volunteering for this event!
This year we will have 8 workshops (instead of the normal 9). We did this to focus on an extended workshop about mentorship – both how to be a mentor and how to find a mentor. It is going to be a great topic! We also have workshops on running for office, social justice, and a return from Innovative Changes to teach Financial planning.
We encourage tradeswomen to ask their employers or unions to send them to this great event. The cost is $55 with a $10 discount for all OTI members. We are more than happy to invoice your company or union, just make sure you ask them first! If you need more support with that process, Tiffany would be happy to help.
We also want to be supportive of those who are not being sponsored and maybe be new to work or perhaps currently underemployed. We do offer scholarships, just tell us you are interested in your registration, and we will be in touch! For those with kids, we have you covered too! We are offering $40 per child scholarships to help with childcare costs. This is a first come, first served scholarship with limited spots so register early!
We look forward to seeing you there!