Repost: OFCCP in 2013 Seeks to Facilitate Success for Workers, Employers, Agencies

On January 28, 2013, Bloomberg/BNA published its annual “OFCCP Outlook” in the Daily Labor Report. The article provides a fairly comprehensive look at OFCCP’s regulatory, enforcement, and outreach programs.

Of note

OFCCP Director Pat Shiu on federally funded construction hiring: “We continue across the country to see major disparities when it comes to representation of women, in particular, as well as racial minorities,” Shiu said. “We've got to do something about that because these are good-paying jobs also with benefits.”

“Additionally, DOL's regulatory agency stated that OFCCP plans to publish this coming October a proposed rule that would revise construction contractor affirmative action requirements under EO 11246 (41 C.F.R. part 60-4) that have not been updated since 1980.”

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Reproduced with permission from Daily Labor Report, 18 DLR S-6 (Jan. 28, 2013). Copyright 2013 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) <http://www.bna.com>

Repost: A Day in the Life of a Woman in Construction

20 Questions for Women in Construction

Posted: 02/15/2013 1:07 pm

By Amy A. Peterson

Hard Hats. Strong Women. Building the Future.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) prepares, trains and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future. NEW graduates are working as carpenters, electricians, ironworkers, laborers, plumbers and operating engineers.

NEW was founded in 1978, when less than 3 percent of engineers were women and less than 6 percent of architects were women. Today, those percentages are above 13 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The number of tradeswomen hasn't grown as fast. Nationwide less than one percent of carpenters were women in 1978 and by 2009 the percentage nationwide was still less than 2 percent. According to the New York Building Congress analysis, "Construction remains a male-dominated industry, with men accounting for 93 percent of all workers." However, in New York City, the number of women in construction is growing. Today, thanks to a unique partnership between NEW, labor unions, contractors, and government, 10 percent of the apprentices in the building and construction trades in New York City are women.

Follow our blog to hear the stories of women working in construction in New York City at every level as we ask 20 questions to women working in construction.

Denise Doyle, D.C. 9 Painter, Recruitment Manager of Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), Recording Sec of Local 20 D.C. 9, Executive Board Council Delegate, Trustee - D.C. 9- Council Delegate

What was your first job in construction? Sanding walls

What is your current job? Recruitment Manager and Painting Instructor at Nontraditional Employment for Women

What job do you want in the future? I have honestly never thought about it, I love what I do now!

Are you in a union? What is the best part of being in a union? Yes, D.C. 9 Painters and Allied Trades Local 20. The best part of being in a union is being part of an organization that helps build New York.

Why did you choose construction? What led you to construction? I believe that construction chose me.

When did you realize you wanted to work in construction? When I was a first year apprentice I realized that I truly enjoyed my job.

Is there someone in particular in your life that led you to this career? My parents always told me that I can do whatever I wanted to do. And my husband is a Union carpenter.

Who inspires you? All the women in construction that paved the way before me.

What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction? After earning respect, how great the guys were in teaching me their trade.

What is your favorite part of your career? Turning journey level.

What is your most memorable moment working in construction? 9/11/2001

What is your favorite project you have worked on? I have worked at the United Nations on two different occasions.

What is the biggest challenge of being a woman working in construction? Fitting in sometimes as the only woman on the crew.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the field since you started? There are more women now than when I started.

What advice would you give someone starting out? I would advise them that they need to earn respect and work hard every day.

What is your favorite tool? My 5-in-1

What is your favorite hard hat sticker? My D.C. 9 Local 20 Queens sticker.

What is your most valuable certification? What was the most challenging? My Labor Studies Degree from Empire State College that the union paid for. It was challenging to work and keep up with studies.

See the original interview at www.huffingtonpost.com.

Repost: Plan Gives Women, Minority Cos. 20% of Stadium Construction

by Jake Anderson
February 11, 2013

The group overseeing construction of a new $975 million Vikings stadium approved a plan that calls for one-fifth of construction contracts to go to Minnesota-based businesses that are women- and minority-owned.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which will own and operate the new stadium, on Friday outlined a plan that is meant to involve a substantial number of women, minorities, and veterans in the stadium construction process.

The plan calls for 11 percent of the contracts to go to women-owned firms and 9 percent to minority-owned businesses—and only work performed by Minnesota-based companies will count toward that goal.

The total construction cost is estimated to be around $690 million, the majority of the overall stadium budget, meaning the construction contracts expected to go to women- and minority-owned businesses will together total about $130 million, MSFA Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen told Twin Cities Business on Monday. (Other costs include design contracts and some external plaza construction, among other things.)

The MSFA also set a “work force goal,” which calls for 32 percent of all hours worked on the stadium project to be performed by minority workers and 6 percent to be performed by women.

In addition, the plan includes “an outreach strategy” aimed at awarding contracts to Minnesota-based veteran-owned businesses and recruiting and training veterans to be included in the construction work force, the MSFA said. No specific benchmark was given for the number of veterans to be hired, but the outreach involves working with business support organizations to increase awareness of the project among veterans, among other things.

“These goals are going to be tough; they’re no doubt a challenge,” Kelm-Helgen said. “They’re definitely achievable, but it will take a lot of work and focus.”

The MSFA’s hiring goals were announced one day after the association confirmed that two companies remain in the running for the contract to oversee the stadium’s construction: Golden Valley-based Mortenson Construction is one; its competitor, Scottsdale, Arizona-based Hunt Construction, is the other—and it has ramped up efforts to win the contract by partnering with Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Company.

To read the full article, visit the Twin Cities Business website.

Repost: Women in Construction offers scholarship to local students

February 09, 2013 1:45 pm • Times Staff

The National Association of Women in Construction Northwest Indiana Chapter is offering a $1,000 scholarship award for the 2013-14 academic year.

Any university or college student enrolled full-time in a construction related undergraduate degree program and a resident of Northwest Indiana is encouraged to apply.

Students must have a 3.0 GPA and desire a career in a construction-related field. Completed applications must be postmarked no later than March 15. Application packets are available at university departmental offices or at www.nawic311.org. Additional scholarship information can be found at www.nawic.org/nawic/NFSF .

Last year, two scholarships were awarded to local Purdue University students, Brianne Slick and Keith Daniel II.

See the original article at www.nwitimes.com.

Repost: Why secretary is still the top job for women

More on why construction is a good choice for women, and why as a policy issue, moving more women into construction is a good anti-poverty program.

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Why secretary is still the top job for women

By Annalyn Kurtz @CNNMoney January 31, 2013: 8:37 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

What's the most common job for American women?

The same as it was in the 1950s: secretary.

About 4 million workers in the United States fell under the category of "secretaries and administrative assistants" between 2006 and 2010, and 96% of them were women, according to the U.S. Census.

How secretary became women's work

The rise of the secretary began with the Industrial Revolution, which created an enormous amount of paperwork. In the early 20th century, it became a female job as companies realized they could pay women lower wages to do the work.

Secretarial schools offered professional training, which made it possible for many women to enter the career without a full college education.

It wasn't until 1950 that it became the most popular job among women. Back then, 1.7 million women worked in a category the Census defined as "stenographers, typists or secretaries."

While the title has evolved since then, it remains the top female job.

"It was out with the stenographers, and in with the data processing people. But many women are still employed in that large category," said Cindia Cameron, organizing director at 9to5, National Association of Working Women. Cameron worked as a secretary before joining the organization in 1983.

Why so little has changed

First, generalists tend to dominate the list of most common jobs, regardless of gender. The top job for American men, for example, is truck driver.

As workers become more specialized, either with years of experience or education, their job titles tend to become more specific to their industry.

So why are so many secretaries still around?

"Every time a major new technology showed up, there were always predictions that this would spell the end of secretaries," said Ray Weikal, spokesman for the International Association of Administrative Professionals. "You saw that with the development of electric typewriters, the personal computer, and the internet, but every time technology gets more efficient, the amount of business increases. You continue to need people who can use those tools."

Administrative assistant could very well continue to be the top job for women in 2020. The Labor Department projects the category will grow about 12% between 2010 and 2020, adding nearly 493,000 jobs during this decade.

To read the remainder of the article, visit the CNNMoney website.