Repost: Become a Union Carpenter [video]

Awesome video just released by the NERCC's Sisters in the Brotherhood to recruit more women to become union carpenters. Pass it along!

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: Texas State Technical College recognized for successful retention program for women in Architectural Design & Engineering Graphics Program

Urrea, Yanez recognized for developing recruiting plan

Posted: Friday, January 24, 2014 8:06 pm
By Eladio Jaimez TSTC Staff

Edda Urrea, director of Support Services at Texas State Technical College, and Hector Yanez, director of the Engineering Division, have been recognized by the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science. They were singled out for developing a retention plan aimed at recruiting and keeping female students in TSTC’s Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics (ADEG) Program, a traditionally male-dominated career track.

The Women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, Retention Plan was designed as part of the 2013 National Science Foundation-funded WomenTech Educators Training, hosted by the GeoTech Center. It was chosen as one of the top three plans for the training.

As part of the retention plan, students are paired in classroom projects and female tutors are sought to staff computer labs.

“The focus was on increasing and retaining the number of females in the (ADEG) program,” said Urrea, also the Title IX Coordinator.

“One of the components we’re plugging in is incorporating a humanitarian concept.”

Yanez said doing more community projects was part of the plan to recruit and keep female students.

“We started doing more projects involving small municipalities and non-profit organizations,” Yanez said.

The retention plan will also be featured in other private online-learning communities connected with WomenTech Educators Trainings, where other educators can imitate or develop similar plans.

In the past two years, the ADEG program has seen a considerable increase in female students. In 2011, the program was made up of 11 percent female students. In 2013, that number was at 32 percent.

Both credited Equity Advocate Counselor Anna Cortez for having input in the retention plan and the increase in students in non-traditional programs.

Urrea and Yanez’s retention plan can also be used for other college programs.

“We’ve seen a big push and increased numbers in those non-traditional programs in the past couple of years,” Yanez said.

Urrea and Yanez’s successful retention plan will be featured on the training’s private online-learning community.

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

Canada invests more $ to get more women into construction

Over $200K in funding to get women working announced: Hamilton's YWCA receives funding for project to get more women in construction, manufacturing

By Sola DaSilva, CBC News
Posted: Jan 24, 2014 2:30 PM ET

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2014 2:37 PM ET

The Hamilton YWCA says women are underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated careers like construction and manufacturing — but now it has a hefty government cheque to try and change that.

On Friday, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women Canada Susan Truppe announced the YWCA will receive just over $240,000 for a three-year project that will advance recruitment and retention of women in those industries.

This type of project is even more significant because of the imminent skill shortages facing Canada, says Truppe.

Susan Truppe, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women Canada,
announces funding support for Hamilton YWCA project
to advance the recruitment and retention of women in construction
and manufacturing industries. (Sola DaSilva)

“There is going to be a skill shortage and we think that women have a great opportunity to able to fill those roles and they are certainly talented and skilled enough,” Truppe said. “This is important because of Hamilton being a bit of an industrial city … so Hamilton is an ideal place to do this project. These jobs are out there and are very well-paying and that’s why we want to see more women — so there are better opportunities for women to prosper.”

The funding will go towards outreach, planning and strategies to help women in Hamilton join the trades, says Denise Doyle, the chief executive officer of Hamilton YWCA.

“We already know that we have to look to women, Aboriginals and new immigrants when we think about where our workers are going to come from in the next ten to 15 years. Employers today are investing in strategies in order to be more effective in those recruiting processes,” Doyle said. “We hope that our work over the next three years is going to not only engage with women who want to enter those trades but also engage with the employers and help them bring women into their organizations.”

According to a report released by the Conference Board of Canada in Oct. 2013, many Hamilton employers report skill shortages. A survey of 1,538 Ontario employers (about 4 per cent of which were from Hamilton) showed the highest shortages were in the engineering and infrastructure fields, followed by the energy and utilities industries and the manufacturing and automotive industries.

Recruiting women to these occupations, many of which are high paying, will provide an opportunity for women to leave low paying or minimum wage jobs for unionized employment.

“The one thing that I can assure you of is that this program is going to be run by strong women leaders and the men involved will encourage the young women who are coming up to negotiate more than a living wage and an equal wage,” Doyle said.

To view the full article, visit http://www.cbc.ca/.

Aspen Institute's Workforce Strategies Initiative Releases Report on Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs

Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades, a recent report released by The Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute, analyzes the completion and cancellation rates in construction apprenticeship programs, including

• the barriers apprentices face
• the elements of successful program completion
• current retention efforts, such as counselors, mentoring, and pre-apprenticeship programs
• and recommendations for supporting program completion in the future.

Based on apprenticeship completion data, as well as testimonies from apprentices, journey workers, union representatives, construction contractors, pre-apprenticeship programs leaders, and other stakeholders, this study provides insight into the current state of apprenticeship programs and strategies for improving them.

Visit http://www.aspenwsi.org for more information.

Repost: New push to recruit and retain more women in mining

In Australia, a national employers group is making a new push to increase the female participation rate in an industry dominated by men in heavy boots and high visibility safety gear. The Australian Mines and Metals Association hopes to see women's participation in mining, energy, and related construction exceed 25 percent by 2020, from about 15 percent today.

Listen to or read the full new story at http://www.abc.net.au/news.

Repost: FKG sets a new precedent with on-site childcare centre

by Laura Hunt
13th Jul 2013 6:00 AM



ONE of Toowoomba's largest construction companies is hoping an on-site childcare centre will attract more families and women to join its workforce.

FK Gardner & Sons Group recently opened its first on-site early learning centre, Building Blocks, at its Toowoomba office.

The service costs about 50 per cent less than the national average, with space for 18 children.

Contracts administrator Alex Williams' seven-month-old son Harrison was one of the first to be taken in.

"It's great and so convenient. You know everybody's parents and you can go down at lunchtime and visit them," Mrs Williams said.

"When I was on maternity leave and looking at how expensive the options were, I was thinking 'how am I going to go back?'

"It's really positive financially and has provided a good incentive to return to the workforce."

FKG managing director Nick Gardner said the decision followed a successful parental scheme introduced in 2012 that offered incentives for parents to return to the workplace after starting a family.

"It worked really well and got the thought process started on the childcare centre," he said.

"It's a bit left field for a construction company to be setting up a childcare centre but we're a family-based company and our values are to provide a family atmosphere. From our perspective, attracting and retaining good staff is difficult so it's a good feather in the cap to offer current employees but also future employees.

"We're certainly trying to set ourselves apart from others in the industry."

View the original article at http://www.ipswichadvertiser.com.au.

Repost: Registration Is Open for the 3rd Annual Women Building the Nation Conference

The 3rd Annual Women Building the Nation Conference will be held on April 5-7 in Sacramento, CA. The event celebrates women who are leaders in the construction workplace, their communities and in their unions, is sponsored by the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) and the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC) and will be held at Sacramento’s Sheraton Grand.

The goals of the conference include:

• Recruit more women into building and construction trades
• Promote retention of women in the trades
• Develop tradeswomen’s capacity for leadership and career growth, on the job and in their unions

The three day event, which also represents the 13th year of the Women Building California gathering, will begin with a Friday meet and greet that will connect women who are leaders in their unions. On Saturday, tradeswomen, union leaders, apprenticeship coordinators, contractors, and politicians will facilitate 30 different workshop sessions aimed at helping women have continued success in their careers in the trades. Topics for the workshops will include Pre-Apprentices, Staying in & Staying Strong, Promoting Leadership, and Policy and Politics.

On Sunday, attendees will join for mind-melding caucuses set up by each trade. A National Policy Forum will be held that day as well.

Registration is done based on a tiered system that will cost the attendee $75 before February 22nd, $100 before March 31st, and $125 from April 1st, until the doors open on Friday the 5th. Members of unions affiliated with the BCTD will receive a $15 discount.

More information is available at 916-443-3302, or on the SBCTC website.

Content from Chaz Bolte at wepartypatriots.com.

Repost: Breaking down stereotypes in a man's world

 

Being a woman in the construction trades can have its advantages

 

By Hattie Klotz, Postmedia News August 15, 2012

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Breaking+down+stereotypes+world/7082736/story.html#ixzz246JxCnyp

 

Jessica Madott (L), Logistics Assistant, Stairworld, and Carolyn Lambrechts (R), Site Service Technician, Stairworld, check a piece of wooden railing on July 13, 2012, in Ottawa, Ont.

Photograph by: Jana Chytilova , Ottawa Citizen

Anything you can do, I can do better. Ethel Merman probably did not have carpentry, drywalling, tiling and plumbing in mind when she sang that song decades ago. But fast forward and there are plenty of women in construction who are happy today to be considered equals in a male-dominated workplace.

For Jessica Madott, an installer at StairWorld in Ottawa, carpentry is about working smart when the going gets tough.

"I think it's about reaching a balance with the other gender. There's no question that I can't lift like a guy. It's important to know your limitations in this industry and understand that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of intelligence.

"As long as we can all work around our respective physical limitations to get the job done properly, efficiently and safely, then it doesn't matter what it took to get there."
Caroline Lambrechts, a site service technician at StairWorld, agrees with Madott that being successful means "working smarter rather than harder."

July Organization to Watch: Tradeswomen Archives: A growing community-building collection of tradeswomen resources FROM tradeswomen

Tradeswomen Archives is a project that uses innovative approaches for the collection of digital and paper materials to build community resources by and from women who work in non-traditional blue-collar jobs.  In order to document our lives, Tradeswomen Archives has set up an interactive Facebook page and a website  for women to upload their stories and images as well as inviting people to send in traditional hard copy materials. The idea behind the project is that women have made history by breaking into non-traditional jobs and we don't want to lose it!

This is a tool for building the community of women in the trades, in longshore, and other male-dominated blue collar jobs, and a resource for activists, researchers, and teachers. Started by four tradeswomen in 2007, the collection houses  the personal papers of Vivian Price, Jane Templin, Pat Williams, Lynn Shaw, and many photos, interviews, videos, and flyers from tradeswomen and tradeswomen groups.  There are international materials in the collection as well as sources from the US.

Please contact Vivian Price vprice@csudh.edu if you have ideas and comments about building the archives, or if you want to donate to the collection, which is housed at California State University Dominguez Hills.

Tradeswomen Archives http://www.tradeswomenarchives.com
Tradeswomen Archives Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tradeswomen-Archives/182586774318

When Young Women and the World of Construction Meet, It's "MAGIC"

The San Diego Chapter, NECA is getting ready to participate, once again, in the Mentoring A Girl In Construction (MAGIC) Camp hosted by theNational Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). San Diego's fifth annual MAGIC?Camp runs June 20-29 at the Stanley E. Foster Construction Tech Academy.

Thirty-three area high school-aged young women will join forces with countless construction trade association mentors, including our own San Diego Electrical Training Center's ace instructors. Experts in skilled fields, provide hands-on training, allowing the young women to learn basic construction skills in a variety of trades ranging from electrical to carpentry to sheet metal.

The intense summer day-camp experience gives a glimpse of what the construction industry has available for today's women and the many career paths to explore. Participants will have an opportunity to sample the tools of the trades, including building a construction project on the high school campus.

NECA San Diego has long been supportive of women in construction and encourage women to enter into their apprenticeship programs offered by San Diego Electrical Training Center or participate at the university level in the NECA Student Chapter programs.

Past graduates of the MAGIC experience have continued their education at San Diego State University in the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program. MAGIC graduate and SDSU coed Ana Sical joined the NECA National Green Energy Challenge as part of the SDSU-NECA Student Chapter competing against the best and brightest students from major universities nationwide.

"The MAGIC program continues to introduce young women to the many possibilities available to them that will lead to a solid career," said Karen Prescott-Loeffler, San Diego NECA's director of business development and SDSU-NECA Student Chapter representative. "For many of these young ladies, this is a reason to stay in high school and earn that diploma."

Today's construction is a highly skilled field which includes the many career paths in renewable energy. Many would agree, there is no other program quite like MAGIC Camp, where a young woman can experience the future.

Women In NECA (WIN). NECA’s national organization is also supportive of women involved in our industry. Formerly known as the NECA Women's Peer Group, Women in NECA (WIN) was created to provide a collaborative forum for all women affiliated with NECA-member companies, NECA chapters and local NECA-IBEW Labor-Management Cooperation Committees (LMCCs). WIN supports the professional development of women working in the electrical contracting industry through educational and networking events; promotes diversity in the industry; and encourages women to explore careers in electrical contracting. For more information on WIN, please visit www.necanet.org/education/women-in-neca/

Retrieved from: http://www.necanet.org/index.cfm?fa=newsAboutNecaItem&articleID=5333

Female construction workers prove themselves in a ‘man’s field’

Female workers around campus say to fit in with the men they can’t be too sensitive.

By

• Bryna Godar

June 06, 2012

With light-rail construction engulfing the University of Minnesota, campus is covered in hard hats and neon vests. But few of those are worn by female workers.

Women have joined the construction industry as laborers, engineers and managers, but the field is still largely dominated by men.

“We’re still a minority, but not as much as we used to be,” said light-rail construction worker Jenellen Gallatin, who has been working in construction for 12 years.

“I like physical work, so for me, it works,” she said.

In Minneapolis, 17.6 percent of light-rail workers are minorities, and 6.3 percent are female, with some individuals factoring into both percentages. These numbers are near the project goal of employing 18 percent minority and 6 percent female workers.

Union Tradeswomen Show Solidarity

By Robert Carlsen in Sacramento

Facing new challenges in an election year, U.S. union tradeswomen attending a second annual conference in May in Sacramento reviewed anti-union measures on ballots across the U.S. and vowed to unite to slow attrition.

The conference, co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Dept. and the California State Building and Construction Trades Council (SBCTC), attracted women craft workers from 26 states and from abroad. With 100 fewer attendees than last year, 520 came to the 11th annual meeting for state tradeswomen.

SBCTC spokeswoman Debra Chaplan, also a member of Teamsters' union Local 853, said women now make up just 2% of the U.S. construction workforce, down from a peak of 8% in 2008. Melina Harris, president of Sisters in the Building Trades, a Renton, Wash., activist group, says many tradeswomen are working so infrequently that they are leaving the industry to find more reliable jobs to support their families. "Retention is a big problem," she says.

Sessions stressing political activism—with names such as "We Are the 99%" and "The Political Fight in the States: Stopping the War on Workers"—were popular. Bryan Blum, political director at the California Labor Federation, said a November state ballot measure, called the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act," is really "an anti-union dues measure and does not affect corporate Super PACs and billionaires."

Warren Whitlock, associate administrator of the Federal Highway Administration's civil rights office, called for more "online metrics" of how states are meeting compliance goals. Dept. of Labor's Jane Oates added, "You need to get unions and the construction sector strengthened and back on their feet before you turn to women and apprentices." Whitlock called on attendees to "make noise. You've got to let people know what you want."

Retrieved from: http://enr.construction.com/business_management/workforce/2012/0604-tradeswomen-show-solidarity.asp

NAWIC Announces 2012 Crystal Vision Award Winners

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is pleased to announce the winners of its 18th annual Crystal Vision Awards. The mission of the Crystal Vision Awards is to recognize individuals who promote, expand and encourage the role of women in the construction industry. Jenny Hubbard, of Oakland, Calif., is the recipient of the Crystal Vision Award, which is given to a non-member of NAWIC, and Pamela House, of Providence, R.I., is the recipient of the Crystal Achievement Award, which is presented to a NAWIC member.

Jenny Hubbard, one of only a few Industrial Strategic Account Managers for United Rentals Inc., has made numerous contributions to the construction industry and women's roles within it. At United Rentals, Hubbard has made great strides in a male-dominated field. She is one of three Strategic Account Managers for the company and is the only female member of United Rentals' Industrial Leadership Committee.

Pamela House embodies NAWIC's core purpose, "To enhance the success of women in construction." Currently a Senior Accountant, House has worked for Gilbane Building Company for more than 30 years. For more than 20 of those years, House has served on Gilbane's Diversity Council.

House and Hubbard will be honored during the 18th annual Crystal Vision and Awards Gala at NAWIC's 57th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference in Denver, Colo., Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2012. NAWIC members from across the country will gather at the Sheraton Denver Downtown in Denver for the Conference, which will culminate at 7 p.m. on Sept. 1 with the Awards Gala.

Contact Autumn Daughetee, NAWIC communications director, at autumnd@nawic.org or (800) 552-3506 for more information about the Crystal Vision Awards, photos or to arrange an interview. Visit the NAWIC website at 

www.nawic.org.

About the Crystal Vision Awards NAWIC Past National President Susan Levy established the Crystal Vision Awards Program in 1995. The program recognizes individuals who promote the role of women in the construction industry through initiatives, policies or legislation.

About NAWIC NAWIC is an international association serving approximately 160 chapters across the United States. The association has expanded to include international affiliates in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Contact: Autumn Daughetee
817-877-5551

SOURCE National Association of Women in Construction

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.nawic.org

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1c0wL)

Retrieved from: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nawic-announces-2012-crystal-vision-award-winners-151705885.html

Re-Post: Growth Capital: All-girl team to put your house in order

We talk to Jo Behari, the entrepreneur behind tradeswoman business Home Jane

DIY women

Lucy Tobin

14 May 2012

Most Londoners have spent the past few weeks moaning about living through the wettest drought on record. But for Jo Behari, the deluge has been very good for business.

Behari is the entrepreneur behind Home Jane, a tradeswoman business that hit revenues of £320,000 last year. And the rain is causing a surge in the number of clients booking her female plumbers to fix leaks and overflowing gutters. “Everyone seems to have leaky houses in London, which is great for business,” she explains.

“We rely on internet advertising, so when it started pouring we changed our Google Adwords from ‘female plumber’ or ‘female electrician’ to ‘roof leaking’ and ‘damp patch appeared’. It means anyone typing that into Google is directed to our plumbers, and business has gone crazy.” Home Jane was born in 2006 when Behari had what she thought was her dream job, working in marketing for an accountancy firm. “I thought it would be amazing, taking me all over the world. But I hated the long hours for very little reward. I became disilusioned and decided to start my own business.”

A few months later, she was having electrical work done on her bathroom. “I had to phone an electrician three times before he came, and when he finally did, he made such a mess in my flat,” she says. “Then he started asking if I lived there alone, and I felt a bit uncomfortable. I started thinking about being in a vulnerable position by inviting strangers into my home to get work done. That’s how I came up with the idea for Home Jane.”

New Habitat home in Ferndale encourages women in construction

Ralph Schwartz - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

FERNDALE - When Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County builds its next home, almost all of the construction workers will be women.

Groundbreaking for the nonprofit's fourth house in the Trigg Woods neighborhood is Sunday, April 22. The project is Habitat's second "Women Build" home in Whatcom County. The first was completed in July 2011 on the same street.

The program is meant to encourage women to learn construction skills in a supportive environment. Men are not turned away, but at least 75 percent of workers on a given crew should be female, Habitat says.

If I Had A Hammer

NATIONAL

If I Had A Hammer

BY

JANE LATOUR

 MARCH 30, 2012

ISSUE #

175

Women are part of almost every blue-collar workplace. They’re behind the scenes, alongside the men. They’re installing fiber optics for a telecom company, fixing Con Edison equipment in the “manholes,” behind the stage providing sound and lighting for Broadway shows, and on construction sites around the city. Almost five decades after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with its Title VII provisions for equal employment opportunity, and subsequent struggles through which women won the right to enter any apprentice program for the skilled trades — to become carpenters, electricians, painters and plumbers or join the fire department — they’re on the job. But their numbers are low, and consequently they remain invisible. And that’s a problem.

As long as women make up a statistically insignificant proportion of the blue-collar workforce, they’re all too often viewed as what groundbreaking carpenter Irene Soloway called “the creature with two heads.” As long as they are a tiny minority on any job, harassment and discrimination will continue. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the pioneers challenged stereotypes and broke barriers on the far frontier of feminism. Yet the persistence of discrimination leads directly to problems of recruitment and retention — posing a Catch-22 for women working in skilled blue-collar jobs. For Women’s History Month, I surveyed some of the women working in these jobs and some who paved the way for others. These firsthand reports tell us what improvements have been made and what still needs to change in order to extend the gains of the women’s movement to the working class.

Female firefighters

While the New York City Fire Department has made great strides since the days of litigating, demonstrating and other forms of outright opposition to females in the ranks, there are currently only 28 female firefighters in a force of more than 11,000. The good news is that more than 2,600 women have applied to take the test to become a firefighter, according to Regina Wilson, president of United Women Firefighters.

Firefighter JoAnn Jacobs was among the first group of 40 women to enter the department in 1982, and she has recruited, mentored and trained women in preparation for prior tests. “I think that the presence of women firefighters on TV shows and in commercials makes a difference,” she said. “It’s a visual cue to women. You only need one for a woman to see something that gets her thinking: I can do that, too. They’ve grown up seeing this. Young women are so much more physical and strong. And then their husbands and boyfriends are encouraging them. Men see women doing kick boxing and other things that are outside the conventional female stereotypes. Women have stepped out of the traditional roles and images and these things are all making a difference.”

Then again, stereotypes endure, as Eileen Sullivan, a pioneering tractor-trailer driver, can attest. “This woman cab driver assured me that she was qualified to drive because she was a laid-off tractor-trailer driver. I assured her I would be fine with her driving but was disappointed that she felt the need to point it out — until she mentioned how many women refused to drive with her and would order another cab,” she said.

Tile setter Angela Olszewski offers another perspective — about life inside her former union, Local 7, Bricklayers. “The union’s public relations apparatus regularly exploited my intelligence, aptitude and skills,” Olszewski recalled. “I appeared in union videos, newsletters and performed installation demonstrations. Ironically, at the same time my union appointed me to their Women’s Task Force in 2001, I was also begging my employer, the local, and my apprentice coordinator to be trained in the higher skill sets of my craft. In my former union, women are nothing more than a novelty and are not taken seriously.”

City wrestles with policing its jobs policy

By 

Melissa Tabeek, Special to the Reporter
Mar. 1, 2012

Most companies that win contracts for publicly funded building projects in Boston continue to fall well short of city-mandated minimum-hiring thresholds, according to a Reporter analysis of city reports. The Boston Residents Job Policy (BRJP), a city ordinance, is aimed at ensuring diversity – of Boston residents, minority groups, and females – in work being done with public money.

The policy sets out specific targets: City-hired contractors are directed to make sure that, at minimum, 50 percent of all workers on a job site are Boston residents, 25 percent are minority citizens, and 10 percent are female.

The policy – in place since the 1980s— gives contractors a goal to meet when they are composing their workforce, but over the years, city officials have been careful to avoid using it as a cudgel to force companies to meet the exact minimums laid out in the policy.

But, there are repercussions for companies that do not make a make a “good-faith effort” to try,
In a story last week, the Reporter revealed that a New Hampshire-based contractor — Sunshine Paving— has been under more intense scrutiny from city officials for their dismal hiring record to date as they oversee the reconstruction of Cronin-Wainwright Park. (The park has recently been re-named in honor of Rev. Dr. William Loesch.)

Sunshine Paving first caught the attention of the Boston Resident Jobs Policy Office when the contractor Sunshine Paving didn’t submit their payroll as required under the policy, according to Brooke Woodson, who oversees enforcement of the policy for the Menino administration.

When it became clear to Woodson that Sunshine Paving was not making a “best faith effort” to meet target hiring numbers, he took action, withholding three lump payments totaling $355,000 for work done at the park over the last few months.

Work at the park— nestled between Codman Square and St. Mark’s Area— has come to a halt as the company and city officials work out a solution to the hiring problem.

Woodson said his office uses more than just numbers to determine if there has been a real effort made by the contractor to diversify their work force.

“Some of the questions we ask are: are they submitting their paperwork and payroll on time? What are the trades they’re utilizing? Is there outreach in the community? Is there outreach to the city’s job bank?” said Woodson.

Before construction begins on a project, there is a pre-construction meeting held with contractors and representatives from the Boston Redevelopment Authority or the BRJP Office, depending on the project. This is when contractors are informed of the Job Policy and asked to sign a contract agreeing to make a best faith effort to meet the numbers in the ordinance.

When contractors do not make a good faith effort, Woodson said, they will be called in for a “corrective action meeting” to discuss how the contractor can meet their goals. Woodson’s office has the authority to withhold payments, sanction suspension payments, terminate a contract, recover the contract award price as liquated damages and deny right to participate in future projects for up to three years.

“Actions like these [sanctions and withholding payments] usually gets their attention and they usually change their behavior,” said Woodson.

Payment suspensions —like the one now in place at Cronin-Wainwright Park— is relatively rare, but it has happened before. When Turner Construction and Gilbane —two construction firms— have not met their numbers in the past, Woodson said they worked out a settlement in which the companies made donations to two groups working to support job creation and training in Boston: Madison Park Vocational High School and Youth Building Boston, a non-profit organization.

The complexities of enforcing the Jobs Policy are more readily available now, in part, because the hiring statistics are posted online at the BRA website. The Boston City Council in 2010 passed an amendment to the original Jobs Policy ordinance requiring the Boston Employment Commission (BEC) — a liaison committee established to work with the BRJP Office to monitor compliance — and the BRA to make information available online.

According to statistics reviewed by the Reporter on the BRA’s website, from 2009 to 2011, the number of Boston residents hired for publicly-funded jobs decreased to 32.3 percent from 36.9 percent. Minority hiring dropped as well, decreasing to 29.9 percent from 41.4 percent. Female numbers made a small gain, increasing to 3.8 percent from 3.3 percent.

The BRA also tracks and posts statistics on hiring for private construction jobs in the city in a separate database. According to a Reporter analysis of these figures, there have been small gains in privately-funded projects happening from 2009 to 2011. Resident numbers increased to 31.5 percent from 29.8 percent in that time frame, while the number of minorities increased to 33.8 percent from 28.9 percent. Female hiring increased slightly also, to 4.7 percent from 4.2 percent.

Woodson says one has to take into effect the market when looking at these numbers.

“The market fluctuates like anything else…A lot of the factors are outside of the city’s control, year to year and month to month,” said Woodson, who added that people moving out of the city for the suburbs may have something to do with the decrease in numbers.

State Rep. Martin Walsh, who also serves as secretary-treasurer of the Boston Building Trades Council, agrees with Woodson’s assessment. Walsh explained that the drop in compliance can be attributed to a rough economy.

“[2009 to 2011] was a very bad time for jobs…When there is more work around, the numbers are more accurate,” said Walsh.

He added that when there is a lack of work, companies are more likely to keep their core work force, rather than adding new employees.

“The city is doing a great job with enforcement,” Walsh said. “In the last year or so, they have really picked up on it. [The BRJP] is one of the prerequisites to work in the city. That’s not a lot to ask for of a company when they’re working here, making their money here. They should be held to a standard.”

Lewis Finfer, executive director of the Massachusetts Action League, said Boston Job Policy is widely viewed as one of the stronger ordinances nationally. Los Angeles, which just adopted a Construction Careers and Project Stabilization Policy in 2008, aims to have 30 percent of total work hours be local and community area workers, with 10 percent disadvantaged workers.

City Councillor Charles Yancey is not satisfied, however, and wants to see better compliance figures.
“I don’t think [the numbers] are reasonable. I think they should be higher, particularly for women and people of color,” he said.

Walsh believes that new and upcoming projects will not only create job opportunities for the people working in the city of Boston, but in six months, will provide a good benchmark for better evaluating compliance of contractors with the BRJP.

“There’s a lot of work in Boston that is coming down the road in 6 months. There are 10 to 12 jobs starting that will get those numbers up,” said Walsh. “We’ll be able to get people off the bench because companies will need to hire outside their workforce.”

Walsh points to pre-apprenticeship programs such as Building Pathways — a partnership between the Boston Housing Authority, The Construction Institute, and the building trades —that are a step in the right direction to get new people in the workforce.

 Last year Building Pathways had a class of 14, all of whom found jobs. Looking forward, Walsh hopes this year’s class of 16 will do the same, and the program will continue to grow.

 “We’ve had a 100 percent placement rating in the unions,” said Walsh.

Retrieved from: http://www.dotnews.com/2012/city-wrestles-policing-its-jobs-policy

Tradeswoman in the News: Sonya Codero

Sonya Codero joined Piledrivers Local 56 in Boston through a project with hiring goals.  The UMass Boston PLA covers $700 million worth of construction over ten years, and includes workforce hiring goals of 50% Boston residents, 25% people of color and 10% women.  


The PLA also established an Access and Opportunity Committee which has worked hard to ensure contractors meet the goals.  The job is just starting, but Sonya represents the difference that hiring goals can make.  For more information on the project, go to http://www.mass.gov/anf/property-mgmt-and-construction/oversight-agencies/dcam/community-access-and-outreach-for-the-university-/access-and-opportunity-information.html.

New IWPR Gender Wage Gap 2010 fact sheet

Re-post from the Institute for Women's Policy Research:

IWPR just updated their  Gender Wage Gap factsheet with the 2010 annual earnings figures: http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2010/at_download/file

It dramatically illustrates the decline in progress on the gender wage gap: it narrowed by over ten percentage points between 1981 and 1990, by close to 4 percentage points between 1991 and 2000, and by less than one percentage point in this last decade, 2001 to 2010. The factsheet includes real earnings, and gender wage gap between women of different race/ethnic backgrounds and white males.

The ratio of women‟s and men‟s median annual earnings was 77.4 for full-time/year-round workers in 2010, essentially unchanged from 77.0 in 2009.