Repost: Homophobia Hinders Women’s Progress in Building Trades

A recent study conducted by Amy M. Denissen of California State University and Abigail C. Saguy of University of California–Los Angeles illuminates the ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining women in the construction industry by examining the gender discrimination and homophobia many tradeswomen experience on the job. A press release published by Sociologists for Women in Society states:

"Denissen and Saguy explain that when women enter trade work, men often feel threatened. This stems from the building trades being traditionally seen as “men’s work.” The study finds that tradeswomen are sexually objectified and occupationally discriminated against in an attempt to neutralize the threat tradeswomen pose to men’s right of privileged access to these lucrative careers." (SWS, 17 June 2014)

To read the full press release, visit http://socwomen.org/swspr62014/. To download a copy of the study, visit http://gas.sagepub.com/.

Repost: Court Rules that Federal Law Bars Employers from Discriminating Against Breastfeeding Employees

Legal Momentum recently represented female construction workers in a discrimination case and helped protect the right to receive breastfeeding accommodations on the job.

"Earlier this year, Legal Momentum filed to intervene on behalf of four female sheet metal workers in a lawsuit filed against Vamco Sheet Metals, Inc., a New York-based construction company that manufactures and installs sheet metal. The lawsuit was originally filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September of last year, after the agency’s investigation concluded that the company had discriminated against its female employees. The investigation was prompted by the charges filed by four women, each of whom reported being terminated from her job due to her sex.

Legal Momentum’s court papers also noted that one of the women reported being discharged by the construction company after she notified her supervisor that she was a nursing mother in need of time and space to express milk for her child.

In their court papers opposing Legal Momentum’s intervention, defendants argued that the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act does not protect employees who are terminated after requesting breastfeeding-related accommodations. The Magistrate Judge disagreed, ruling that employers who take adverse employment action against nursing employees may be found to violate the Pregnancy Discrimination Act" (Legal Momentum, 12 June 2014).

Read the full press release and ruling at https://www.legalmomentum.org.

Repost: What’s Next for Women in the Trades?

Great article written by Michael Theriault, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council, about the need to recruit and support more women in the building trades:

"While the old Building Trades pattern of white male exclusion of minorities, then, has been largely – even if not absolutely – superseded by a new, more complex reality, we still appear to exclude women.

We and the City can take many practical steps yet toward enrolling and supporting women in the Trades. We can target pre-apprenticeship programs primarily at women, as does a recent Iron Workers multi-trades welding program. We can insist that existing pre-apprenticeship programs target specific numbers of female apprenticeship candidates, as the Carpenters have done at John O’Connell High School. I have advocated for years for childcare programs with construction hours, which would benefit many men as well. We can ask successful Tradeswomen to serve as recruiters and mentors" (Theriault, 30 May 2014).

Visit http://www.sfbuildingtradescouncil.org/ to read the full article.