tradeswomen
Oregon Tradeswomen, Women’s Bureau Hold Roundtable on Female Retention in Trades
Portland-region workforce development organizations were honored to host Women’s Bureau Region X Regional Administrator Betty Lock this week for a roundtable discussion on retention of women in trades apprenticeships. The group came together to discuss a persistent and vexing problem in the construction industry: A full 65 percent of women fail to complete their apprenticeships, a rate substantially higher than men’s termination rate of 35 percent.
The robust discussion was informed by experts in the field from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Worksystems, Inc., the Northwest College of Construction, Constructing Hope, Family Forward Oregon, and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., who convened the meeting. Among the factors that contribute to the disparity in retention rates discussed by the group were jobsites and employers that remain hostile toward women, the fact that tradeswomen are dispatched to fewer work hours than their male apprentice counterparts, and the continued lack of supportive services that are tailored to the specific needs of workers in the construction industry.
Solutions offered by the group included emphasizing accountability and enforcement on projects that fail to meet diversity hiring targets, working with contractors and employers to stimulate demand for female workers, and tailoring supportive services to suit women working in the industry that have children. Many in attendance emphasized the importance of networking, noting that women and men of color are not being mentored into a network that guarantees them more access to the jobs that help them succeed in apprenticeship. Oregon Tradeswomen’s Advocacy Program Manager also offered a summary of its work on the Green Dot bystander intervention program, which could be employed on construction jobsites to reduce harassment of female and minority workers.
We look forward to continuing this discussion with our regional partners and the Department of Labor, as well as working together to refine and implement the best of these strategies in the future. Oregon Tradeswomen wishes to thank our regional partners, Betty Lock, and the Women’s Bureau for their commitment to women in the trades and for coming together to discuss this critical issue!
Multnomah Bar Foundation Awards Grant to OTI
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) received a $4,000 grant from the Multnomah Bar Foundation to support components of OTI’s TOOLS program (Tradeswomen Organized for Outreach, Leadership & Support) – a program aspiring to advance tradeswomen’s understanding of civic responsibility, to improve tradeswomen’s understanding of the legislative process, and build their leadership capacity overall. OTI’s TOOLS program provides voter registration, voter education, civic engagement, and advocacy and legislative work, so that tradeswomen are included in the civic and legislative process on issues that affect working class tradeswomen.
Today, OTI’s current class of pre-apprenticeship students are participating in OTI’s annual Construction Equity Day event where students visit the State Capitol Building to meet with legislators, observe the legislative session, and learn more about how new laws are enacted in our state.
“We are immensely thankful to Multnomah Bar Foundation for their investment in our work with tradeswomen,” said Tiffany Thompson, Advocacy Program Manager for OTI. “These funds will help educate tradeswomen about the direct impact civic engagement can have on OTI’s work and on the Construction Industry at large. We will also be able to instill a more relevant understanding of the role of the legislative process, and help tradeswomen feel competent and knowledgeable enough to be meaningfully engaged in government, law, leadership, and elections,” Thompson added.
Founded in 2005, the Multnomah Bar Foundation (MBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The MBF has established two dedicated funds: the Civic Education Fund (formerly the MBA 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund) and Multnomah CourtCare. For more information about the MBF visit their website.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. thanks the Multnomah Bar Foundation for its generous support of our programming!
Tradeswomen Stories – September 25, 2015
The 2015 Tradeswomen’s Stories event is a unique opportunity to engage with both the trades industry and the art community. OTI is offering limited sponsorship participation to businesses seeking a unique community engagement opportunity.
This year’s Tradeswomen Leadership Institute will kick off with a compelling segement called Tradeswomen Stories: Whatever you do…don’t do that! Five tradeswomen will be immersed in the art of storytelling – sharing their true stories live and on stage – at one of Portland’s finest performance venues, Disjecta. This event will build community and create a powerful tool for tradeswomen to share their experiences.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is partnering with Back Fence PDX for this exciting event featuring local tradeswomen. Their stories are often invisible in discussions about construction. These women face incredible adversity and break significant barriers to get and retain jobs that have largely only been accessible to white men for generations. During the past year, apprenticeship, trades, and manufacturing have taken a prominent place in national conversation about workforce, economy, and employment.
TRADESWOMEN’S STORIES: Whatever you do…don’t do that!
Friday September 25, 2015
Doors at 6:30 pm
Show at 7:00 pm
18+ Only
Tickets available to purchase online.
Disjecta
8371 N Interstate Ave
Portland, OR 97217
Guest Blog: Jen Netherwood
Here at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., we are thrilled to welcome Jen Netherwood as a guest blogger! Not only is Jen one of our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class grads but she is also an instructor for current OTI classes, actively involved as a volunteer, and tirelessly works for access for women in the trades. We are happy to announce that Jen is the January winner of Irwin Tools’ “Nominate A Tradesman” competition.
Over the past couple of months, tradeswomen across the nation have been advocating for Irwin to change their logo and the title of their competition. We think tradeswomen should be recognized for all of their contributions to the community as well! Join us, and nominate your own tradeswomen today.
In the meantime, lets turn it over to Jen to hear more about her amazing story and the work she is doing for women at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.
For women that enter the trades, becoming a Tradeswomen has meaning far beyond the tools and skills. From simply walking onto a job-site where we are 1 of 100 workers, to standing up for our rights in court, whether we set out to do it or not, we are breaking down stereotypes and changing the face of construction. I set out to do it, to change how society defines a construction worker. I have spent my entire life in male dominated professions. First in sports, now as a Journey level carpenter, I have looked for ways I could contribute to breaking down old stereotypes.
I completed the OTI TAC Class in 2005 and went on to complete the apprenticeship program at the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute as one of about 4 women. It made a huge difference to me knowing that although I was in the minority, women had gone before me and at least put some gravel down on the path! I stayed involved with OTI and eventually began teaching for TAC and Building Girls. Although I really didn’t know what my path was going to be, it was clear to me that the heart of my passion for carpentry was in my desire to play a role in inspiring other women to become Tradeswomen.
In the summer of 2012 that path opened up. OTI recommended me for a position teaching a new pre-apprenticeship program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the only women’s prison in Oregon. I had never so much as been inside a jail and what followed was life changing for me.
With about 12 hours of training, a radio, and the knowledge that I wasn’t a really good hostage candidate, I started the program with 22 women, skill saws, hammers and utility knifes. What I observed was a group of motivated women who were willing to challenge themselves and each other to do something they had never thought they could (a couple women even said they really didn’t believe women could go into the trades).
From October 2012 to August 2013 40 women completed the BOLI certified pre-apprenticeship program at Coffee Creek. The most amazing thing I saw happen was the sense of pride that grew within so many of the women. They began to see that they could lift 3/4″ plywood, handle a circular saw, roof a house, and install Sheetrock. They started to tell me about conversations they had with their kids, how impressed their kids were that their moms knew how to build a saw horse and use a table saw.
One woman told me that her mom sent her an article about how she was one of the first female low voltage electricians for Pac Bell. This inmate had not spoken to her mom in years and they connected through her participation in the pre-apprenticeship class. Now that inmate is a material handler for IBEW and completing the steps to becoming an apprentice.
Another woman told me her 17 year old son was so inspired by her that he decided to enter the carpenters’ job core program. She was able to send him the tool belt she earned at Coffee Creek to get him started. She has worked with the courts while she’s still at Coffee Creek to develop a payment plan to get her driver’s license back when she paroles so she can pursue a career as an Ironworker.
Through experiences with inmates like these my grey area for what I thought I thought about incarcerated adults, our legal system, and our prison system grew exponentially in the 13 months I was employed.
One of the most profound conversations I had with the women went like this:
Inmate: Ms. Netherwood you treat us different.
Me: What do you mean?
Inmate: You treat us like human beings.
Me: Well aren’t you?
Unfortunately the company that I worked for decided to cancel the program in August of 2013, despite its impact on the women and clear potential for a path to family wage jobs. In 2014, 75 women who graduated from Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. averaged a starting wage of $15.18 per hour. Another 13 graduates moved from their first job to apprenticeship, raising their average to $19.02 per hour.
I have been working with Portland Community College Corrections Education since August of 2013 to build a brand new pre-apprenticeship program for Coffee Creek because I whole heartily believe that access to the skills and knowledge about how to become a Tradeswomen and earn a family living wage will be life changing for the women who complete the program.
The Department of Corrections and Portland Community College will negotiate that contract this month, March 2015. I encourage you to contact your Representatives and Senators to tell them the positive impact that access to pre-apprenticeship training for women is having. More specifically, you can have an even greater impact if you write to the Public Safety Subcommittee of Ways and Means (the budget committee for the Department of Corrections).
How to Write a Letter to your Legislators
For the incarcerated women at Coffee Creek, a construction trades pre-apprenticeship program can set them on a path to a family wage career, increased self-esteem, a positive contribution to society, a tangible connection to their family, and a chance to break the cycle of incarceration. Whether we set out to do it or not, whether we simply show up and work hard or we go before the Oregon legislature and speak up about how things need to change, we really are changing the world. Or, at the very least, how Oregon defines a Tradeswoman.
For Tradeswomen past, present, and future, never underestimate your impact!
Worker to Leader: Construction Leadership
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is very grateful to the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for supporting activities that increase the retention of diverse women and men of color in the trades. We are excited to offer a course of five 2-hour workshops to introduce tradesworkers to construction related leadership development. Attendees will commit to attending all 5 classes and can expect to be introduced to concepts like project management and becoming a foreman. We know this will be a great opportunity to develop relationships for diverse, experienced tradesworkers to start on their pathway to leadership
Deadline: March 20
Classes will be held Monday evenings from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm in the Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. classroom at 3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., #101 (in the basement). The dates will be:
- March 23
- March 30
- April 6
- April 13
- April 20
Topics include: Leadership Panel, Basics of Blue Prints, Stepping up to Foreman, Project Management Basics, and Introduction to Project Scheduling.
We have limited slots available for these workshops. If you are interested please call or email Tiffany Thompson. She will need to know a few things to process your application:
- First and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Trade
- A short, one paragraph statement about your interest in the courses and what you hope to get out of them
- Gender (optional)
- Race (optional)
Applicants should be diverse women and men of color who are:
- In their last term of apprenticeship OR
- Who have completed highway trades apprenticeship in the last 2 – 5 years OR
- Who can provide a reference from a company, union, or apprenticeship
Scholarships Galore!
* Photo courtesy of Lindsay Cimina Photography
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Here at OTI it has become the season of scholarships! March is a hot month for money supporting women in the trades! While we were not directly invited for this scholarship opportunity, thanks to our ruthless, internet-scouring staff member Leigh McIlvaine, we are able to pass the opportunity along to you!
The Dwyer Group is supporting women in the trades by awarding six $1,500 scholarships each semester. They intend for these scholarships to be used by tradeswomen to pay tuition, books, travel and/or fees. While The Dwyer Group is based in Texas, they are opening their scholarships to tradeswomen across the US and Canada. However, they do limit scholarships to seven trade specialties:
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Electrical Repair
- Glass Repair and Replacement
- Appliance Repair
- Restoration
- Landscaping
The first deadline is March 31st and the second is September 30. So, go forth and apply!
You will need to complete an application, two 500 word essays, and get a reference. Good luck!
Microsoft Word Dwyer Group Scholarship Application
Scholarships Available! 2015 Women Building the Nation
Women Building the Nation is offering two $500 scholarship for tradeswomen under the age of 35 to attend the 2015 conference! This is an amazing opportunity to join 1,000 other tradeswomen in L.A. We have strength in numbers! Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is able to select up to two tradeswomen to be recipients of the scholarships. While these scholarships will not cover the entire cost, we hope that they will help get two women to the conference!
Scholarship applications are due to Tiffany, Advocacy Program Manager no later than Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Scholarship recipients must:
- Submit an application to OTI no later than Thursday, March 12
- Be under the age of 35
- Be a first time attendee to Women Building the Nation
- Be a graduate and/or current member of OTI
- Contribute a one-page write up about what you got out of the conference and why it was a valuable experience (within 2 weeks of conference end)
- Return receipts after the conference to demonstrate costs
One-page write ups are really important for Women Building the Nation to send to funders and sponsors so they understand the value and impact of their contributions. Plus, it helps OTI demonstrate the need to future attendees!
Coming this May: Annual Women Building the Nation Conference in Los Angeles!
The national tradeswomen’s conference, Women Building the Nation, is set to take place in Los Angeles, California, May 1-3! With an expected attendance of over 1,000 tradeswomen, union leaders, apprenticeship coordinators, contractors, and politicians, the fifth annual Women Building the Nation conference will be the most exciting and productive conference yet!
In addition to networking with other tradeswomen from around the country, conference goers will build new skills, engage in leadership development and learn more about organizing through more than 40 different workshops and plenary sessions. Workshop tracks include: Pre-apprentices; Staying In and Staying Strong; Promoting Leadership; Policy & Politics; Career Ladders; and Nourishing Extras.
A special Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute will be held on May 1 for coordinators and staffers of pre-apprenticeship programs. Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is proud to serve on the National Task Force on Tradeswomen’s Issues, which is planning the conference’s closing event, a policy forum designed to inspire tradeswomen to work together to lift our sisters around the country and elevate tradeswomen’s issues to the national stage.
Please join us in turning out the largest ever Oregon delegation to the Women Building the Nation conference! Last year we had 42 conference attendees from Oregon, representing 16 different locals. Help us beat last year’s attendance and represent Oregon, your trade, and your local this year in Los Angeles!
In general, it will cost about $600 – $1000 for one person to attend the conference.
- Registration fees are $100/person
o $75 reduced early bird fee if you register by Friday, February 20
o Additional $15 discount for members of BCTD-affiliated unions
o Registration includes two continental breakfasts, two lunches, and a reception - Hotel Rate is $129/night, reservations can be made at the Sheraton Gateway LAX
- Flights running $210 – 400 as of January 27 according to kayak.com
Join with other conference goers, like 2014 attendee Maddie Ettlin, in experiencing the power of tradeswomen in community.
“The 2014 Women Build California and the Nation Conference began before it even officially started. Flying from Portland to Sacramento, there were already five or six different trades represented by delegations of women proud of their union membership. Tradeswomen tend to stand out in a crowd, and we’re eager to find each other. We were everywhere! In restaurants, in cabs, all over the airport, walking to and from hotels and preparing our business. As a member of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc, I feel like I have a strong community of tradeswomen around me, and our numbers are nothing to sniff at. But I had only been around a large group of tradeswomen a handful of times, and it was nothing compared to stepping foot into the convention center at the opening plenary. Our sheer numbers will forever impress upon me that I am not alone, no matter how it may feel from job to job.“
Now that you want to go, the question is how? Well, luckily for you we can help you with your quest. OTI can provide guidance about making motions to the floor at your union meeting, how to write letters requesting support, a sample letter, and some talking points about the conference! That’s right, we have tried to make it as easy as possible to incorporate between all of your hard work. Would you still like some more support? Contact Tiffany and she would be more than happy to explore how OTI can support you.
How to write a letter requesting union support
Women Building California and the Nation conference talking points
We want to see you at Women Building the Nation this year! Let’s turn it out for tradeswomen in Oregon and across the country.
Congratulations, Cassie Czubachowski
Huge congratulations to Cassie Czubachowski who recently graduated from the Oregon and SW Washington Roofers and Waterproofers JATC with high marks!
Cassie is now a journey level roofer. She is greatly appreciated and valued by her employer, Snyder Roofing. Way to go, Cassie! |
Jodi Guetzloe Parker: Oregon’s First Female Building Trades Council Head
It’d be impossible to talk about female leaders in the NW construction trades without mentioning Jodi Guetzloe Parker. As the second woman to ever lead a building trades council in the United States (she was elected executive secretary treasurer of the 25-craft Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council in 2012), Guetzloe Parker has become somewhat of a role model for women, even beyond state lines.
But though she’s now spent over two decades in the trades – initially as a Cement Mason, then a rank-and-file member, elected official, and staffer at the Laborers Union Local 320 — the mother of one, stepmother of three, and grandmother of four came to the trades for the same reason many do: she couldn’t afford not to.
The self-deprecating Guetzloe Parker says the catalyst was losing her wallet, and with it, a bonus she’d received from her minimum wage job with a clothing company many years ago. “My friend [a Cement Mason] said, if that small amount of money is so impactful in your life, you need to join our apprenticeship program,” Guetzloe Parker says.
She couldn’t argue. She’d been working since she was 15, when she slung hamburgers at a carhop at a drive-in café (unless you count sweeping the floor for lunch money at six years old in her neighbor’s garage) – and at times still depended on social services to raise her kid.
“Thank God for public assistance because that carried us through,” Guetzloe Parker remembers. The subsidies were put to good use. “I’m a good investment! I’ve paid a lot of taxes and donate a lot of money. Social programs are so necessary, and have a good return.”
Guetzloe Parker grew up in Kamiah, Idaho, having her daughter when she was 20 years old and moving to Vancouver, Washington when she was 21. There she started cleaning hotel rooms, worked at Hi-School Pharmacy, a baby clothes company, and finally became a member of the Cement Masons at 32 years old.
Something clicked. “I was able to be outside, go to work, get dirty, and not worry about if my shirt was pressed for my $8/hour job,” Guetzloe Parker tells us. Finally, the single mom was on track to being able to independently support her family.
Her rise involved a fair amount of self discipline. “One of the things that make me who I am is being sober for 25 years,” says the building trades leader. “I have to do things to maintain that sobriety, but it’s part of what makes me a better leader.”
Unfortunately, a back injury derailed her career for one “horrible” year – at one point she was told she’d never be able to lift anything over five pounds again. Against the expectations of some of her doctors she returned, becoming a secondary list traffic flagger, then traffic control supervisor for Stacy and Whitbeck. She moved through various jobs with the Laborers – punch list foreman, quality control inspector — before running for an auditor’s office at the union. From there, she was hired at a staff position, eventually leading to last year’s election as the head of the building trades council.
What’s it like to be a female leader in the trades? “It’s tough,” Guetzloe Parker says. “And I’ve always been tough on myself. But you have to always give 110 percent, and I listen. I think I’m pretty good at letting people talk – I want to listen to them.”
Because, as she’s quick to point out, no one succeeds entirely on their own. “Bill Bruce [Stacy and Witbeck’s Interstate Light Rail superintendent] was my mentor,” Guetzloe Parker says. “He took me from a flagger to traffic control supervisor and to punch list foreman. He believed in me when I did not believe in myself. He told me, “You grow, or you go.” She grew.
When it comes to advice for the next generation of women in the trades, Guetzloe Parker begins, “Take a deep breathe. Carry on. We have resources everywhere. Develop friendships with men and women. Lean into them. “
Which is not to say, go soft. “And never let somebody take your tools away,” Guetzloe Parker concludes, with a smile.