Canterbury, New Zealand Success

Canterbury New Zealand is rebuilding from a massive earthquake in 2010. The government of New Zealand has made it a priority to get women into these jobs. Political will has made it happen. 2400 women working on the rebuild equal 17.8% of the workforce! See it here.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/women-quitting-the-office-to-join-canterbury-rebuild-q14037

Repost: Women on the Rise

Please enjoy this wonderful video about women in construction, created by Hard Hatted Women in Cleveland. The video could be a useful tool for outreach efforts: Thanks to retired Cleveland carpenter sister Rocky Hwasta for sharing it!

Repost: Union Tradeswomen Are Urged to 'Lean In' at Big Gathering

By JT Long in Sacramento

Photo Courtesy of Women Building California and the Nation

Attendees got motivation from AFL-CIO executive Liz Shuler.

A record 650 union tradeswomen attending the annual "Women Building California and the Nation" conference earlier this month were urged to take a cue from top Facebook executive Sheryl Sandburg and "lean in" to become leaders at jobsites, union halls and in their communities.

The Sacramento, Calif., conference, co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Dept. and the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, brought together women electricians, ironworkers, sheet-metal workers, plumbers, bricklayers and other craft workers from across the state, the U.S. and Canada to show solidarity, network and gain insights to boost their numbers and economic clout.

Women currently make up 3% of workers in the building trades, but the popularity of craft-specific networking sessions for pre-apprentices and journeywomen indicated the pipeline was still flowing. "It's a wonderful opportunity for the newbies to chat with those who really do the work," said Debra Chaplan, state council spokeswoman and a member of Teamsters' union Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif. Chaplan credited the recovering economy in part for the record sponsorship of unions from regions that have been absent in recent years. New jobs are coming back in some places faster than in others, she notes.

The dominant message in the workshops, which encouraged attendees to "make the law work for you" and run for union and political office, was that women, including minority women who are underrepresented in the industry, need to self-nominate and get involved. "The more visible you become, the more you hear, the more changes you can make, and the more you can bring others with you," said Jane Templin, interim president of electrical workers' Local 11 in Pasadena, Calif.

Read the remainder of this article at http://ern.construction.com.

© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Finishing the Job: Best Practices for a Diverse Workforce in the Construction Industry

PGTI is pleased to release Finishing the Job: Best Practices for a Diverse Workforce in the Construction Industry. We look forward to improving this document through thoughtful discussion. You can leave your feedback in the comments section below. Select "Name/URL" in the drop-down menu to comment without creating a Google or Blogger account.

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