Upcoming Event: FREE Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) Training

The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) and Suffolk Construction will be hosting a free 10-hour Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) training. The training will cover OSHA regulations and requirements that are necessary as you apply to the construction industry. This will be a good opportunity  for women looking to enter the construction industry.

Saturday January 24th, 2015, 8:30am-3:30pm
Sunday January 25th, 2015 8:30am-3:30pm

OSHA Training
38 Oak Street 
Boston, MA 02111

For more information, check out the event flyer.
If you have any questions or need to sign up, please call Brian McPherson at 617-517-4446 or email BMcPherson@suffolk.com

Repost: Lessons from returning women migrant workers

A recent article in The Phnom Penh Post illuminates the importance of protecting Cambodian women who face many challenges and dangers while they migrate to and from worksites in Thailand:

"Chandy’s story was positive – she received her wages, retained her belongings and returned to Cambodia unharmed. But in crossing into Thailand as an irregular migrant, there were no guarantees of her safety or protection. Indeed, many of Chandy’s fellow returnees had much darker stories to tell." (Holliday, 10 Sept. 2014)

Chandy's story is just one of many women who overcome barriers to earn a living for themselves and their families.

Visit http://www.phnompenhpost.com/ to read the full article. 

Repost: Mayor Walsh targets gang members for jobs - Trade unions step up with apprenticeships

The Boston Herald recently reported that Mayor Walsh and attorney Daniel Mulhern have developed a program, Operation Exit, to direct youth involved in street violence to employment in the building trades. Select individuals will complete an apprenticeship program and subsequently gain access to union employment and benefits. Walsh states:

''It’s a great way to get somebody into an industry where they’re going to make a good amount of money in the beginning, but it gets them off the street, hopefully gets them to understand the importance of working and the value of working,' Walsh told the Herald. 'And it will help us on the backside by taking some of the key players off the street'" (Encarnacao, 18 July 2014).

Visit http://bostonherald.com/ to read the full article.

Repost: Breaking the Stigma in the Skilled Trades

Women are a resource to help address the looming shortage of skilled workers

TORONTO — As Ontario struggles to find a solution to a labour shortage that will require an estimated 40,000 skilled workers over the next decade, stigma blocks a potential workforce that could play a large part in rectifying the problem.

The historical and misguided public perception that the skilled trades are the domain of big, brawny, handy men has resulted in a dearth of women in the trades, but it is past time to break down those barriers, says Tammy Evans, President of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction.

“We have unemployed and underemployed women who are a natural resource for entering the skilled trades,” says Evans, who will be at Future Building 2014 in an effort to reach the next generation of potentialtradeswomen. “Events like Future Building are a great opportunity to educate the public and really push the discussion to ask why not? Why not open the door to a woman in the skilled trades? Why not consider investing in training, hiring and promoting women in trades as a viable, homegrown, economic advantage to address the current and future shortage of skilled trades?”

Future Building, partnership of the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) and Employment Ontario, is a three-day interactive trade expo geared towards students in Grades 7-12, showcasing the various skilled trades in the industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector, including masons, plumbers, glaziers, carpenters, ironworkers, steamfitters and sheet metal workers.

This year’s show will take place April 8-10 at the Mainway Recreation Centre in Burlington.

“The unionized construction sector has been actively working to increase the number of women in the skilled trades, and we expect we will see a lot of young women touring the show floor at Future Building,” says Sean Strickland, Chief Executive Officer of the OCS. “Technology has changed the needs of the skilled workforce. The opportunities in the construction trades are open to everybody. We need to talk about that, recognize it and promote it.”

An event like Future Building is necessary because the past two generations of students have been drilled that university is the only path to a career, says Evans.

“We have this perception of trades as not being for smart people, but that in fact is not true,” she says. “Skilled tradespeople are intelligent, professionally-trained workers. We need to elevate that profile. In the current market, a university graduate with a general arts degree, if they can find a job in their chosen field, should realistically expect a starting salary in the $40,000 to $50,000 range at best. They are unlikely to be above $50,000 to start. A first-year journeyperson coming out of trade school (depending on the particular trade) will likely earn between $60,000 and $70,000, and has the potential to earn a six-figure income within five years.”

To view the original article, visit http://www.exchangemagazine.com.

Repost: Building unions seek women

Great press on the new Building Pathways New Hampshire! Please spread the word to any individuals in NH interested in a career in the building trades.

------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, March 4, 2014

New Hampshire’s Building Trades Unions are looking for NH women who are seeking a good career with a future and who like working with their hands as well as their brain; who have a sense of adventure; and who like making good wages and benefits.

Building Pathways New Hampshire, a new pre-apprenticeship program designed to bring Granite State women into high-skill, high-wage construction careers is now seeking applicants for its upcoming training program slated to begin in mid-May. Building Pathways is a five week, hands-on education and training program in the building trades, with commitments to place qualified graduates into union apprenticeships.

Interested women MUST attend one of the four information sessions, which will be held on March 11, 13, 17, and 24 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hookset.

Classes will start Monday, May 12, and end Friday, June 13, at the Carpenters Training Center in Manchester. Classes will be Monday – Friday, 7 am-3:30 pm, the typical construction day.

Students will get hands-on instruction in a number of trades including carpentry, electrical, sheetmetal, plumbing and more. They will earn their OSHA 10 and First Aid/CPR certificates. They will visit different training centers as well as an active construction site. The class is free of charge, but space is limited – only 13 women will be accepted.

“I’ve been a union carpenter for 25 years. I started my apprenticeship in 1989, and I have loved it. I’ve worked on heavy highway concrete jobs, and high-end finish jobs. I moved up the career ladder and worked for a contractor doing estimating, and now I work for the union. I’ve made good money, and have a real skill that no one can take from me. It’s been an incredibly rewarding career,” said Liz Skidmore, a long-time carpenter and now business manager of Carpenters Union Local 118.

“In most fields, women don’t get paid as much as men doing the same work. In the Granite State, women only get paid $0.77 to the dollar a man makes. I’m proud that in the union building trades, women get paid exactly the same, dollar for dollar, hour.”

Skidmore added, “Construction work isn’t for everyone – male or female; you have to want to work hard and work outside in all weather, but if you love the work, it’s a fantastic career. The health and retirement benefits are exceptional.”

The program is designed for female New Hampshire residents who are unemployed or underemployed, who are physically able to work in construction, are 18 or older, are authorized to work in the US, have a high school diploma or GED, are drug free and agree to drug testing, are on time, are interested in a construction career, can pass an eighth grade level English and math test and who have access to reliable transportation. Women of color and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

The program is sponsored by the NH AFL-CIO, the NH State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Carpenters Union. It is supported by federal Workforce Investment Act funds, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and program partners.

Anyone interested in applying should contact Joe Gallagher at 603-948-8161 or at buildingpathwaysnh@gmail.com. Program information can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/buildingpathwaysnh

Visit http://www.fosters.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Settlement Requires New Jersey Contractor, Plumbers’ Union to Recruit More Women

By Lorraine McCarthy

March 3 — A New Jersey mechanical contracting company agreed Feb. 24 to pay a total of $400,000 to settle allegations that it violated state law and regulations barring gender discrimination in employment by failing to employ female plumbers on jobs it handled, including many taxpayer-funded projects (In re Falasca Mech. Inc. and Plumbers & Pipefitters Local No. 332, N.J. Att'y Gen., No. EF14SB-61686, administrative consent order filed 2/24/14).

Under terms of the administrative consent order announced by the New Jersey Attorney General's office, Falasca Mechanical Inc. of Vineland, N.J., will make payments of $250,000 to the state and $150,000 to journeyman plumber Bette Feldeisen, a member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 322.

Under its ongoing labor agreement with Local 322, Falasca staffs its projects by requesting workers from the union.

The state alleged that Falasca repeatedly hired less experienced, less qualified male plumbers over Feldeisen and in general failed to make a good-faith effort to employ female plumbers while handling millions of dollars in public works jobs.

Local 322, which is a non-paying party to the same settlement, agreed to join with Falasca in a cooperative effort to increase female recruitment into the union and to increase training and employment opportunities for female plumbers during the next three apprenticeship cycles.

Preferential Hiring of Men Alleged
Feldeisen worked for Falasca on occasional jobs beginning in 2000 and continuously from December 2006 through January 2009, when she was laid off for economic reasons, according to the state's summary of the case.

When the company was hired for a 2009 hospital construction project that required work on medical gas systems, Feldeisen, who holds a certification in medical gas installation, was passed over by Falasca and the union in favor of male plumbers who had fewer years of experience and who weren't certified in medical gas installation, according to the state.

In administrative complaints filed against Falasca and the union in September 2010, Feldeisen alleged that she was passed over repeatedly when Falasca sought plumbers through Local 322 for private and public projects, despite her experience and prior employment relationship with the contractor.

Her complaints alleged gender discrimination in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the state's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules for public contractors.

The state's investigation showed that “for a period of at least four years, encompassing over 150 public contracts, Falasca has not been in compliance with the EEO rules when accepting and carrying out public contracts,’’ according to the consent order.

Hiring Goals, Recruitment Efforts Mandated
Under terms of its agreement with the state, Falasca makes no admission of wrongdoing or liability.

In addition to the monetary terms of the settlement, Falasca agreed to work with Local 322 to comply with state hiring goals for female workers.

The company also agreed to keep records for at least three years of its efforts to reach hiring goals for women for every public contract it is awarded, including records of all individuals requested or referred from a union and all those interviewed or hired.

Falasca also will develop its own anti-discrimination and EEO rules compliance policy, distribute it to all unions with which the company has a labor agreement, and provide mandatory training on the policy to all project managers, foremen, hiring personnel and the Local 322 business manager.

The settlement includes reporting and monitoring provisions to ensure compliance.

The Local 322 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) has committed to its own outreach and recruitment efforts to attract more women to the apprenticeship program.

The union agreed to undertake outreach to students in at least three vocational-technical high schools during the next five academic years to provide information about the plumbing industry as a career and to encourage first- and second-year female students to pursue careers in the trade.

Representatives of Falasca and Local 322 could not be reached for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lorraine McCarthy in Philadelphia at lmccarthy@bna.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Susan J. McGolrick at smcgolrick@bna.com

OFCCP NPRM Announcement Re: Affirmative Action

"Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would revise 41 CFR part 60-1 and 60-4 by removing outdated regulatory provisions, proposing a new method for establishing affirmative action goals, and proposing other revisions to the affirmative action requirements that reflect the realities of the labor market and employment practices in the construction industry today."

----------------------------------------------------------------- DOL/OFCCP

RIN: 1250-AA01

Publication ID: Fall 2013

Title: Construction Contractors' Affirmative Action Requirements
Abstract: The regulations implementing the affirmative action obligations of construction contractors under Executive Order 11246, as amended, were last revised in 1980. Recent data show that disparities in the representation of women and racial minorities continue to exist in on-site construction occupations in the construction industry. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would revise 41 CFR part 60-1 and 60-4 by removing outdated regulatory provisions, proposing a new method for establishing affirmative action goals, and proposing other revisions to the affirmative action requirements that reflect the realities of the labor market and employment practices in the construction industry today.
Agency: Department of Labor(DOL)	Priority: Other Significant
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda	Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage
Major: No	Unfunded Mandates: No
CFR Citation: 41 CFR 60-1; 41 CFR 60-4 (To search for a specific CFR, visit the Code of Federal Regulations.)
Legal Authority: sec 201, 202, 205, 211, 301, 302, and 303 of EO 11246, as amended; 30 FR 12319; 32 FR 14303, as amended by EO 12086

Legal Deadline:  None

Timetable: Action Date FR Cite NPRM  04/00/2014

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Undetermined	Government Levels Affected: None
Federalism: Undetermined
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No
Related RINs: Previously reported as 1215-AB81
Agency Contact: Debra A. Carr  Director, Division of Policy, Planning, and Program Development  Department of Labor  Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs  Room C3325, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,  Washington, DC 20210  Phone:202 693-0103  TDD Phone:202 693-1337  Fax:202 693-1304  Email: ofccp-public@dol.gov

Career Opportunity: Apprentice as an Operating Engineer

HOISTING & PORTABLE ENGINEERS Local 4
Apprenticeship & Training Program

The Training Center will accept applications for entry into the apprenticeship program during the month of November.

Each year at this time, Local 4 notifies appropriate agencies and interested parties regarding their application period. November is the only month that interested parties must apply in person at the Canton Engineers Training Center, One Engineers Way, Canton, MA 02021-3708 (Telephone: 781-821-0306)

To be eligible as an applicant, these basic qualifications must be met at the time the application is assigned.

To join the Apprenticeship & Training Program's inquiry list, please register online.

Repost: Building Connections Newsletter

UMass Boston recently released a Summer 2013 issue of their Building Connections newsletter, which describes progress on the campus' current construction initiatives. Page 3 has two great articles titled "Building Projects Promote Diverse Workforce" and "Diversity Manual Cites Integrated Sciences Complex," the second of which mentions PGTI's Finishing the Job: Best Practices for a Diverse Workforce in the Construction Industry. Read or download the newsletter at http://cdn.umb.edu/images/news/BuildingConnectionsConstructionNewsletterSummer2013.pdf.

Map of Boston Resident Jobs Policy Monitored Projects

Check out this map of current Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) jobs covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy (BRJP). Thank you to the Boston Workers Alliance for creating it!

http://boston.maps.arcgis.com/apps/HeaderFooter/main/index.html?appid=8b6cf7d594c641b9ac065c87e0bbccdc

Apply to Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Repost: Women are breaking through the 'concrete ceiling'

Great article by CNN Money about the increase in WBEs and tradeswomen, and how there's still much more room to grow female participation in the construction industry. Thank you to Mary Vogel of The Construction Institute for sharing!

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By Deena Shanker @FortuneMagazine May 22, 2013: 8:57 AM ET

NEW YORK (Fortune)

We've all heard about the glass ceiling, but it looks the concrete one might be harder to crack.

According to the National Women's Law Center, in 2010 women held a tiny percentage -- 2.6 -- of the U.S.'s 8.4 million construction jobs, the same percentage they held in 1983. The NWLC faults "barriers such as gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, a lack of awareness about opportunities in construction, and insufficient instruction."

But while women may not be gaining ground in trades like carpentry and plumbing, they are increasingly getting involved on the entrepreneurial side of the industry. The U.S. Census Bureau counted 152,871 women-owned construction firms in 1997. Ten years later, that number had jumped by 76% to 268,809. Women are steadily chiseling away at that concrete ceiling. Or, as Lenore Janis, president of the National Association of Professional Women in Construction, put it, "Our fingernails are broken from scratching at it."

For the past 15 years, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) has compiled its Inner City 100 list, highlighting the fastest-growing urban small businesses in America. This year's list includes 28 women-owned businesses, a double in percentage since 1999, the list's inaugural year. While many of these businesses are taking advantage of the burgeoning "mommy market," several are breaking into industries heavily dominated by men, including construction.

In addition to the efforts of the women themselves, Janis sees the growth as a direct result of a 35-year-old goal set by the Office for Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Since 1978, federal contractors are required to employ women for 6.9% of the total construction work hours on any federal project. (For it's part, the NWLC says that considering the much higher rates of female participation in other typically male dominated fields like policing, butchering, and machine operation, 6.9% is still "not enough.")

Read the remainder of this article at money.cnn.com.

Repost: 'I Chose Construction Because of a Desire to Create'

20 Questions for Women in Construction

Posted: 03/01/2013 2:48 pm
By Nedelka "Mac" McLean, Carpenter Apprentice

What was your first job in construction? My first project was a King Kullen Supermarket in Long Island.

What is your current job? Renovating a school in Staten Island damaged by Sandy.

Are you in a union? What is the best part of being in a union? I am in a union and enjoy the sense of family and guaranteed benefits.

Why did you choose construction? What led you to construction? I chose construction because of a desire to create.

Who inspires you? I am inspired and motivated by the stories of the women who came before me.

What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction? The majority of the men I have worked with judge you on your skills and not your gender.

What is your favorite part of your career? When a project is near completion and I know I have made a contribution.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the field since you started? The biggest change is in the number of women in the field thanks to NEW.

What is your favorite tool? My favorite is the screw gun and T-square.

What would surprise us about you? I started in this field at age 50.

What would surprise us about you? I started in this field at age 50.

What is your favorite hard hat sticker? My Local 157 sticker.

View the original article at www.huffingtonpost.com.

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. At the same time, NEW provides a pipeline of qualified workers to the industries that build, move, power, green, and maintain New York. NEW transforms women’s lives. NEW’s free training program starts a woman on the path to a career where she learns a skilled trade, earns a good salary, and is able to provide a secure future for her family.

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.

Higher Wage Equality for Women in Construction

"Women's-to-men's earnings ratios were higher among women employed in construction (92 percent) and agriculture and related industries (85 percent) than among women employed in other services (72 percent) and financial activities (71 percent)."

See the full article, Women’s earnings and employment by industry, 2009 on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor's website.

Video from WJLA ABC7: Women in construction: Nailing a male-dominated industry

By Autria Godfrey September 19, 2012 - 06:23 pm



Read more about this news story at www.wjla.com