Event Recap: "Paving the Way for Women in Construction" Webinar

"Paving the Way for Women in Construction: Creating Systems and Supports that Work," an October 1, 2014 webinar hosted by the United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau, the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the National Women's Law Center, Wider Opportunities for Women, and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. "explored ways to increase women's participation, retention, and success in the construction industry." The webinar included a discussion of two new reports, the Institute for Women's Policy Research's results from a survey of tradeswomen and the National Women's Law Center's report on challenges and pathways for women to access higher-paying jobs, as well as best practices in recruitment, training, retention, and technical assistance regarding increasing women's representation in the construction workforce.

For more information about this recent webinar, visit www.dol.gov/wb/.

Event Recap: "Where are all the women?" webinar

On August 5th, Gamaliel, a network of community organizing affiliates across the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom, hosted a webinar on "Putting Women to Work in the Skilled Trades through Regulatory Reform" (Gamaliel, 30 July 2014). Panelists Connie Ashbrook, Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Francoise Jacobsohn, former manager of Legal Momentum's economic security program, and Jenny Perrino, legislative director for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, discussed "why women are still excluded from the construction trades and what can be done to fix the problem" (Gamaliel, 30 July 2014). This webinar is part of Gamaliel's ongoing efforts through the Fire of Faith campaign, which seeks to increase access to living-wage jobs.

Watch the full video of the webinar.
Download the webinar PowerPoint slides.
Learn more about Gamaliel's Fire of Faith campaign.

Repost: Women in Trades - An Apprenticeship Success Story

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. (OTI) Executive Director Connie Ashbrook's recent post on the USDOL blog provides a concrete narrative of both the challenges that women face in entering the construction trades and the need for Registered Apprenticeship programs to focus on recruiting women. Ashbrook rightly states,

"Although many people believe it is women’s physical abilities that can keep them from succeeding in a trades career, the most challenging obstacle women have to overcome in becoming an apprentice is a lack of knowledge about these careers and how to successfully apply for apprenticeship" (Ashbrook, 17 July 2014).

Programs like OTI's pre-apprenticeship program continue to serve as an integral link for women to access good-paying jobs in the building trades. Read more about OTI and the success of their pre-apprentice Deawendoe “Dee” St. Martin at http://social.dol.gov/blog/.

Repost: Hundreds of girls try out nontraditional jobs at career fair

Congratulations to our colleagues at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. for bringing over 2,000 women and girls to their recent Women in Trades Career Fair!



Here's a short recap from nwlaborpress.org:

"More than 2,000 women and teenagers were introduced to careers in 'non-traditional' trades such as construction worker, lineman, and firefighter at the 22nd annual Women in Trades Career Fair held May 8-10 in Northeast Portland" (Northwest Labor Press, 14 May 2014).

Visit http://www.katu.com/news, http://nwlaborpress.org/, and http://www.tradeswomen.net/Fair/ to learn more.

Repost: Women Finding a Second Chance in Energy Efficiency

Congratulations to Oregon Tradeswomen for the recent coverage of their continued great work. Here's a quote from the op-ed on Next City's website, describing their successful apprenticeship program:

"Dobhran moved to Portland, Oregon, where she and her son shared a small bedroom in a friend’s apartment. She relied on public assistance while she scoured the city for work.

...

Then she heard about an apprenticeship program offered by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. The organization uses grants to provide 6-8 week training courses for women who want to work in industries like green building and energy efficiency." (Johnson Avery, 24 April 2014)

Visit http://nextcity.org/ to read the full article.

Repost: Oregon tradeswomen archive their blue-collar career histories

By Andrea Castillo, The Oregonian on November 10, 2012 at 6:25 PM, updated November 10, 2012 at 7:20 PM

Betty Kendall, 83, holds her grandmother's volt-ammeter while being recorded by Vivian Jones, a California State University Dominguez Hills associate professor, as part of her international Tradeswomen Archives Project. Women were invited Saturday to contribute virtual and material artifacts of their experiences to help build a comprehensive record of women in non-traditional jobs. Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian

Betty Kendall was the only mechanic at Ed's Auto Electric to wear pearls underneath her coveralls.

It was 1976. Kendall, now 83, had just received her Associate of Arts degree from Portland Community College in auto mechanics. Just one year earlier, she had been named the first woman in the country to become certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence as a master mechanic.

She had a knack for fixing things that not everyone in the male-dominated trade appreciated. But Kendall said her drive to be self-sufficient was more overwhelming than the anger of those who thought it was too counter-cultural.

"In those days, a woman complained once and then she was a troublemaker," she said.

Kendall was one of 12 tradeswomen who took part in an archiving event to document their history. The international Tradeswomen Archives Project hosted the Saturday event at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., a Northeast Portland nonprofit that helps women access careers in non-traditional blue-collar work.

Vivian Price, an associate professor at California State University Dominguez Hills, runs the archiving project. She called it a "grassroots movement" to document tradeswomens' lives, now that many are just beginning to retire.

"Their records and stories could be lost," said Price, a former electrician. "We're trying to make sure that doesn't happen."

Penny Painter started working construction in 1980. She was a single mom and needed to make more money than her $5 an hour receptionist position allowed.

Painter, 55, started out cleaning construction job sites. Her income immediately doubled.

She knew the job would come with opposition from her male counterparts, but she earned respect by being a hard worker with a no-nonsense attitude.

And with her hair braided under a hard hat, Painter blended in.

"You couldn't tell I was a female except for my nails, which were nice and pretty," she said. "They were always blood red – the same color as my Harley."

Painter said the view of women in the construction field is changing.
 "It doesn't matter who you are," she said. "Most contractors don't care as long as you can do the job and will try hard."

As for Kendall, she found that many people didn't understand why a woman would ever want to be a mechanic. On the job hunt, she was called a "starry-eyed idealist" and told to go back to being a housewife. She got kicked out of boot shops and ran into trouble buying coveralls that fit.

Her interest in the trade stemmed from growing up in the country. Life there contrasted with the city, she said, where the aftermath of the industrial revolution had deepened gender segregation.

On the farm, Kendall watched her grandmother fix their tractor. She still wore a dress, quilted and made award-winning angel food cakes, but when something needed fixing, she could do it.

"These are things women have been doing for years," said Kendall, who also raised three children with her husband, a professor of medicine.

That explains the pearls hidden under her coveralls: a few times a week, Kendall would rush after work to meet her husband at evening receptions, when she'd quickly wipe the grease off her hands and swap the coveralls for a dress.

-- Andrea Castillo

Repost: Meet an 80-year-old female mechanic at Oregon Tradeswomen Archives Project in Northeast Portland

By Larry Bingham, The Oregonian 
on November 08, 2012 at 2:46 PM, updated November 08, 2012 at 4:34 PM

Email | Print

Joanna Neal (left) and Becca VandeWalle, students at Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., construct benches for a picnic table for Village Gardens in North Portland. Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
The Oregon Tradeswomen nonprofit will hold a special event Saturday in Northeast Portland exploring the history of women in trade careers. Among the guests will be an 80-year-old female auto mechanic and a 60-year-old carpenter.

The organization, which helps women access living-wage careers in construction, aims to document tradeswomen history. Saturday's event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is sponsored by the Tradeswomen Archives Project in California.

The tradeswomen archiving event will be held at the Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. office, 3934 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, #101. For more info, contact Dawn Jones at 503-335-8200 x 31.

For Northeast news, follow me on Facebook & Twitter.

-- Larry Bingham