Women Build Nations Conference in Chicago April 30-May 1, 2016

The 2016 WOMEN BUILD NATIONS conference will mark a momentous occasion for tradeswomen worldwide when the conference convenes outside of California for the first time in its 15-year history. The annual conference brings together hundreds of tradeswomen from multiple construction crafts to build leadership skills, learn strategies for overcoming challenges and unite around common issues.

Chicago Women in Trades is serving as the local host committee of the 2016 Women Build Nations Conference and partnering with the North American Building Trades Unions, along with other national, regional and local tradeswomen advocates and other allies.

Additional information regarding registration for the 2016 Women Build Nations conference will be announced in December of 2015.

In the meantime:

Download a Save the Date flyer for 2016 and share it with your sisters

and

visit: http://www.sbctc.org/ for newsletters, pictures and videos of previous years conferences.

For other conference information, contact kkupcak@cwit2.org

Hope to see you in Chicago this spring!

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: Coalition calls for wage guarantees for construction on Roxbury projects

At a recent meeting of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee, which monitors construction projects that are part of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan, the Boston Jobs Coalition and other community activists called for developers to adopt prevailing wages for both union and non-union workers as well as higher goals for contractors to hire residents, women, and people of color. This recommendation comes not long after community members picketed the Tropical Foods store site, where "some workers...were being paid only $11 per hour" (Larson, 22 Oct. 2014). The coalition's efforts have received support from City Councilor Tito Jackson and State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, among others.

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

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!

News Release: Suffolk Construction Launches Fall 2014 Subcontractor Development Series

If you know a Massachusetts MBE or WBE that would benefit from training in construction management and greater access to relationships with major contractors like Suffolk Construction, Suffolk Construction's upcoming Subcontractor Development Series may provide the additional information and resources to help that subcontractor increase their success in the construction field. Applications for the Fall 2014 series are due Friday, August 15 at 5pm.

To get more information, review the eligibility requirements, and complete an application, check out Suffolk Construction's recent news release or visit www.suffolk.com/subcontractor_development_series.html.

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: Gov. Hassan talks of "Building Pathways" for women during building trades pre-apprenticeship info session

Word is getting out about the new pre-apprenticeship program, Building Pathways New Hampshire. Three dozen women attended Building Pathways New Hampshire's info session earlier this week and got to meet Governor Hassan, who spoke movingly about the power of doing non-traditional jobs, the critical value of construction to the state's economy, and the pride of doing challenging work.

Building Pathways New Hampshire's last info session will be held this Thursday, March 27, 6 - 7:30pm at 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett. Spread the word!

---------------------------------------------------

By RYAN O’CONNOR
Union Leader Correspondent

HOOKSETT — For years, Gov. Maggie Hassan built pathways for herself, which ultimately led to the top spot in New Hampshire’s state government.

Monday, the first-term governor was at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall in Hooksett, encouraging other Granite State females to reach their dreams through Building Pathways, a new, no-fee pre-apprenticeship program designed to bring local women into the high-skill, high-pay world of union construction careers.

“As only the second woman governor in New Hampshire history, I know a little bit about taking the non-traditional path,” Hassan told the room of about three dozen woman and several men.

“Knowing you have a skill for businesses and to people is really, really transforming,” said Hassan. “I happen to know each one of you has it in you, just as someone told me 14 years ago when someone told me ‘why don’t you run for the state Senate.’”

Jane Triboletta said she’s an outspoken supporter of Hassan due to the governor’s vision for women in New Hampshire. In addition, she said admitted she felt she should be paying Building Pathways for the “amazing opportunity.”

Gov. Maggie Hassan was one of several speakers at Monday night’s

Building Pathways informational meeting at the Plumbers

and Pipefitters Hall in Hooksett. (Ryan O’Connor Photo)

“I’m 41 years old and I have a 16-year-old, and I want the next 20 years of my life to count for something ... to build things or work with people that can teach me something that can never be taken away from me,” she said.

Hassan said many women already have the ability to develop the skills necessary to succeed in perceived men’s careers but, in many cases, limit themselves mentally.

“For those of you that are mothers, know that nothing is as hard as being a mother, so you’re all set there,” said Hassan. “But you need to understand that you can do this ... and the other thing you will find is that there are a number of great men to be there by your side to help you ... and you get to turn around and help others do the same thing, and we will all get stronger through your success.”

Building Pathways has another informational session scheduled for Match 27 at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall at 161 Londonderry Turnpike in Hooksett. Those interested in additional information may call 491-2406.

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

Repost: Sister Carpenters Build Your Future (video)

Great stories from women carpenters in UBC!


Sister Carpenters Build Your Future from UBC Sisters in the Brotherhoo on Vimeo.

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

Career Opportunity: Researcher/Field Activist, NERCC

Researcher / Field Activist
NERCC | Boston MA - USA | Full Time

Job Description
The New England Regional Council of Carpenters is looking for four motivated individuals to help promote union jobs and better standards for workers in the construction industry. Positions are available in the following locations:

• Boston, MA
• Central Connecticut
• Rhode Island / Southeastern MA
• Central / Western MA

Organizational Background
The New England Regional Council of Carpenters is a 19,000 member organization covering the six states of New England. We focus on representing the interests of our members as well as raising the standards of all carpenters in the regional construction industry. We are a progressive union that has committed 50% of its resources to organizing. We are an activist union that promotes union construction through political action, community involvement, regulatory enforcement, and coalition work. Effective organizing campaigns depend on a combination of comprehensive research and street activism. The Researcher / Field Activist will be expected to handle both aspects of the job title. They will report to the Regional Manager / Lead Organizer in their area.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop research material on industry trends, track construction projects, and provide financial analysis on owners, developers, builders, lenders, etc.
• Develop educational material and leaflets
• Work with state and federal regulatory agencies regarding issues of wage theft, the underground economy, and tax and insurance fraud
• Work in conjunction with other unions, community groups, immigrant worker advocacy groups
• Occasionally assist in visits to non-union job sites, interviewing non-union carpenters on the job and in their homes Participate in demonstrations and picket lines

Qualifications

• Previous organizing experience preferred
• Commitment to economic and social justice and agreement with our union's mission and goals
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills – good attention to detail and well organized
• Self-motivated – proven ability to work independently
• Ability to work well with diverse groups and populations
• Knowledge of computer operations and programs
• Multilingual skills preferred

How to apply
To apply, please send cover letter, resume and three references to Researcher@NERCC.org

Apprenticeship Applications Being Accepted, Insulators Local 6 Boston

APPRENTICESHIP APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED

Notice of Non-Discriminatory Policy as to Applicants

PROGRAM: Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Joint Apprenticeship, Sponsor #20000

AFFILIATION: Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Union, Local 6 - Insulation Contractors Association of New England

TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION: Mass., Maine, New Hampshire & Rhode Island

TERM OF APPRENTICESHIP: Four (4) years. 150 classroom hours and 1600 job site hours per year.

TRAINING: Related. Learn the types and methods of insulating the various services (hot and cold) that are installed in industrial and commercial installations, power plants, hospitals, pharmaceutical and bio tech facilities. Training will consist of classroom and workshop procedures in the proper use of tools, equipment and application as well as reading construction drawings.

WORK PROCESSES: Assisting journeyman on the job in performing all of the above functions.

MANDATORY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Valid, Current Driver’s License and Vehicle

AGE: 18 Years or older by September 1, 2013.

TESTS: General Aptitude Test and Interview; Mandatory Physical and Drug Test.

EDUCATION: High School Diploma or GED required.

RESIDENCY: Territorial jurisdiction of Local Union

APPLICATION FEE: $25.00 Non-refundable fee.

APPLY: In person – During the month of April, 2013 – On Mondays and Wednesdays (Except Mon. 4/15/13) between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., at 303 Freeport St., Dorchester, MA. Driver’s license, diploma and application fee must be produced at that time. No exceptions.

TELEPHONE: 617-436-4666

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Equal Opportunity is provided to all regardless of race, color, creed, sex, national origin or sexual orientation.

Visit http://insulatorslocal6.com/ for more information.

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.

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.

Download a PDF of this manual.
Download a Word document of this manual.

Repost: Pioneer tradeswoman to read at Queen Anne Books

Queen Anne-based author Hadiyah Joan Carlyle will read from her memoir Torch in the Dark: One Woman’s Journey at Queen Anne Books, 1811 Queen Anne Ave. N. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Carlyle’s book tells the story of how she, as a single mother, was one of the first women since World War II to enter the trades as a union welder. Beginning in a Jewish immigrant neighborhood in New Jersey, the story moves through San Francisco’s colorful Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s to arrive at last at Fairhaven Shipyard in Bellingham. For Carlyle, welding became both a path to self-reliance and economic survival and a metaphor for healing from early childhood trauma. “As one of the first female welders in the West Coast shipyards, Carlyle paved the way for women working in the trades today,” comments Arleen Williams, author of The Thirty-Ninth Victim.

The story of Carlyle’s journey offers inspiration for anyone struggling with issues of abuse and oppression. In addition, the book provides perspective on the culture of the 1960s and 1970s. “No one has even come close to the depth and detail of the sixties that Carlyle reaches,” says Jack Remick, author of The Deification and Blood.

Activist, hiker, grandmother, Carlyle is the mother of Washington State 36th District Legislator Reuven Carlyle.  More information about Torch in the Dark is available at www.torchinthedark.com.

Read the original article at http://queenannenews.com/.

Repost: City of Portland commits to build union, and use minority workers and contractors

Sep 18, 2012 

By DON McINTOSH, Associate Editor

The City of Portland is about to try out a new kind of project labor agreement on public construction contracts. The 23-page “Model Community Benefits Agreement” approved Sept. 5 mandates that on future City construction projects, unions will represent workers, and women and minority workers and contractors will have expanded opportunities. The community benefits agreement, approved in a 5-0 vote, was developed in nearly two years of meetings among unions, minority contractors, pre-apprenticeship training programs, and city officials, and will apply to projects of over $15 million.

The agreement sets goals:

• At least 18 percent of the work will be performed by minorities, and 9 percent by women, and the targets apply both to journeymen and apprentices;
• At least 20 percent of the work on contracts of over $200,000 (and subcontracts of over $100,000) will be performed by apprentices;
• At least 20 percent of the hard construction costs will go to women-owned, minority-owned and “disadvantaged” businesses, and joint ventures with minority and women-owned businesses will get a preference of up to 5 percent in bidding on contracts; and
• At least 30 percent of the workforce will be hired from areas identified by the U.S. Small Business Administration as “historically underutilized business” zones, census tracts that include downtown Portland, inner Southeast and Northeast Portland, and the Lents, and Cully neighborhoods in outer Southeast and Northeast, as well as areas of Gresham, Hillsboro and western Clark County.

To read the full article, visit nwlaborpress.org.

Women in the trades demand fair hiring at Temple University

By Joseph Piette
Philadelphia 

Published Feb 24, 2012 9:09 PM

Chanting “Temple University! Unions for All!” to the beat of Puerto Rican planera drums, construction workers and their supporters picketed a worksite at Temple University on Feb. 13 to demand fair hiring practices.

The protest was organized by Margarita Padín, who has worked as a carpenter for 23 years and is a member of Carpenters Local 8; Joanna Harris, a member of Operating Engineers Local 542; Dianna Montague, a member of Ironworkers Local 405; and other women and men in the construction trades.

Harris told Workers World: ” We are out here today because Temple University and L. F. Driscoll have had a lack of fair hiring practices for minorities and women at this particular location. It has been a history of Temple University and the other general contractors — the major contractors in the Philadelphia area — to not properly monitor, and hire with fairness, skilled trade laborers. Ironworkers, operating engineers, electricians — the women are not represented. The minorities are not represented.”

Margarita Padín, right, at Feb. 13 protest. WW photos: Joseph Piette

The Coalition of Labor Union Women, Temple students and Occupy Philly activists joined the protest, which received supportive comments from passersby and honks from passing cars.

Padín said: “Temple University has $400 million in current construction projects in one of the poorest districts in the country, but the demographics of this district are not represented on these construction projects. These are the kinds of jobs that lift people out of poverty.”

“The mandate for the make­up of the workforce should be the state of Pennsylvania as well as Temple University — they are in the middle of a minority-populated area. They should be monitoring fairly. … We’re going to be here until we see a change,” said Harris.

The protest spurred Temple University officials and construction contractors to meet with organizers. But since no progress was made, the labor activists have announced another protest on Feb 20.

---

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Retrieved from: http://www.workers.org/2012/us/women_in_the_trades_0301/

Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts

Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts

by Kap Su Seol | Thu, 11/10/2011 - 2:30pmRetrieved from: http://labornotes.org/blogs/2011/11/korean-sit-atop-crane-defeats-job-cuts

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After 309 days sitting in on top of a 115-foot shipyard crane, a South Korean welder has won an agreement that her multinational employer will rehire 94 laid-off workers.

Each will get $20,000 in back pay.

Ending her sit-in in triumph over Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, Kim Jin-suk called the action “one last fight to win.”

South Korean unions have not defeated corporations’ job cuts since 1997, when layoff rules were eased during the Asian financial crisis. That move was intended to break the region’s long-held tradition of lifetime employment.

Kim rallied support to her cause via Twitter. Her supporters, calling themselves the Hope Riders, first gathered and discussed online and then occupied the streets of Busan and Seoul, the country’s capital.

Kim survived Hanjin’s attempts to cut off her food, water, and electricity, and also her union leadership’s attempts to isolate her and her co-workers by clandestinely agreeing to a new contract.

Each time she was threatened, the Hope Riders mounted larger and larger street protests, defying the riot police and right-wing thugs who confronted them.

The Hope Riders grew strong enough to push the National Assembly to mediate a deal between Hanjin and the union.

On October 9 at the legislature, Hanjin’s chairman tearfully agreed to pay laid-off workers and reinstate them within a year—if the sit-in ended. Most of the 400 originally laid off had already taken buyouts. Kim and the Hope Riders helped bring back the jobs of 94 of the remaining 98.

On November 9, in one last move to avert the union’s victory, 500 riot police surrounded Crane 85 to arrest Kim and effectively aborted a union vote to approve the deal. After fierce protests, police finally withdrew. A day later, union members unanimously approved the agreement.

When the 52-year-old Kim occupied the control room of Crane 85 nearly a year ago, her co-workers feared the action would end the same way as another crane sit-in, conducted by Kim Ju-ik, who hanged himself after 129 days protesting job cuts in 2002.

Touching the ground for the first time, Kim Jin-suk said, “I wanted to prove that the cause for which I have been fighting half of my life and for which many comrades have died is right.”

She was escorted by supporters to a hospital for medical checks. Plainclothes police officers are now surrounding the hospital, waiting for a chance to arrest her for illegal occupation and trespassing.

Using the same cell phone she employed to motivate tens of thousands of new activists into action in South Korea, Kim addressed the general assembly of Occupy Wall Street in New York on October 8 through an interpreter.

She declared her sit-in part of “a global fight against corporate nastiness.” Kim’s triumph adds to the momentum of the rising global protest against the 1 percent.

Kap Su Seol is a research analyst by day and a freelance writer at night. He is currently at work writing a corporate history of Samsung, South Korea’s multinational conglomerate.

Union aims to smooth trades work for women

http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Union+aims+smooth+trades+work+women/5667498/story.html

BY BILL MAH, POSTMEDIA NEWS NOVEMBER 7, 2011 

• STORY
• PHOTOS ( 1 )

"Women's issues are not necessarily the same as male issues on a job site and in non-traditional occupations," says Martyn Piper, executive secretary of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers.

Photograph by: Bruce Edwards, Postmedia News, Postmedia News

Some of the challenges faced by women working in the trades might never occur to a man.

"Harnesses," said Margaret McDonald, a scaffolder from Fort McMurray.

"The harnesses for when we climb high steel. Trying to make sure a company has the right size to fit women. It's little things like that."

McDonald said most employers are usually "pretty good" about having their safety officers supply harnesses fitted for women. "It might take a while before you get it."

But not all issues faced by women in the trades are as easily fixed.

More than 100 people, mostly women working in non-traditional jobs, took part in a recent conference looking at how job sites meet the unique needs of women.

The Women's Conference hosted by the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers, a union representing 11,500 Albertans - including about 480 women. The event for networking and education came six months after the union created a women's committee to help female members play a bigger role in an industry dominated by men.

"Women's issues are not necessarily the same as male issues on a job site and in non-traditional occupations," said Martyn Piper, the union's executive secretary.

Journeyman scaffolder Brandi Thorne, chair of the women's committee, originally studied at university to become a statistician, but an opportunity came up to work in the same field as her husband.

"Some of the differences are that we tend to live with a higher demand for family and child care, elder care, and we have different physical needs," Thorne said of men and women.

The conference offered workshops on issues such as parenting and pregnancy, fitness and nutrition, respect in the workplace and effective communication, and as well as talks from government, labour and industry representatives.

"The weekend is also about finding the voices of women and what are the barriers that exist out there and what would the solutions be to break down those barriers and get more women - and keep more women in construction," Thorne said.

Alberta in particular and industry in general have been trying to coax more women and more aboriginals to enter the trades as a worker shortage looms.

In 2010, 17,400 Albertans retired, 2,300 more than in 2009, and about 190,000 are expected to retire in the next 10 years. The province says Alberta will face a shortage of at least 77,000 workers in the next decade.

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