Women in Metals & Manufacturing: FREE Career Training for Women

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Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) is launching our Women in Metals & Manufacturing program for women interested in pursuing careers in the manufacturing industry.

Entry level wages range $10-$16 an hour, depending on education and experience.
OTI’s training is offered at no cost to interested participants!

“Try It Day”

Wednesday, September 16, 2015
8:00 am – Noon
Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark Street
Gresham, OR 97030

Intensive Training

September 29 – October 2 and October 6 – 7
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark Street
Gresham, OR 97030

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Special thanks to Bank of America and Mt. Hood Community College for their support of OTI’s Women in Metals & Manufacturing program!

 

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Donor Spotlight: Victoria K. by Dennise M. Kowalczyk

I reached out to Victoria when she renewed her sustaining membership because I saw this comment on her donation:

“My daughter, Vanessa, is a recent graduate of the Pathways program. She was given a great opportunity to learn a trade and is looking forward to an apprenticeship in iron working. OTI provides a career opportunity to women that might not otherwise be possible. I saw her develop improved self-confidence and teamwork with her cohorts.”

Victoria and Vanessa

The above photo was taken at Vanessa’s graduation celebration that I also had the opportunity to attend.  It was my first experience in participating in Oregon Tradeswomen’s celebration of our training program participant’s success in graduating from our Trade and Apprenticeship Career Class.  The event included stories, laughter, tears, and promises of established friendships.

Victoria began investing in OTI when her daughter, Vanessa, began investing in her own, new career path as a TAC Class student.  When the session was over, Victoria renewed her support so OTI can prepare even more women in their pursuit of a living wage career as a tradeswoman and Vanessa gave back by donating a computer so OTI can help find those women work.

Join Victoria, Vanessa and all the supporters of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. by making a donation today to ensure a bright future for women in the Portland area. It takes all of us to support these women as they embark on this new journey of independence. With your gift, you are helping women earn a living that will allow them to build a life for themselves and their loved ones. Women who not only live here, but fulfill their dreams like Vanessa did in finding a career that she loves and in which she thrives.

Thank you!
Dennise M. Kowalczyk – Development Director

Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order

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During the past several decades, labor advocates have worked hard to enact policies and laws protecting workers – especially with contractors receiving federal money. Each of these victories was an excellent reason to celebrate, however, we now know that despite the passage of these laws, they have not been enforced for these federal contractors. In order to rectify this situation, President Obama recently signed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order.

We need to take action to ensure that this Order is upheld! We need comments submitted to the Department of Labor by August 26. Because this process is complicated, OTI is collecting comments which we will submit as a group. Please send your comments to us before 9:00 am on Tuesday, August 25!

The executive order is backed by unions and will ultimately protect all workers by setting compliance standards and practices for laws that already exist. Currently, the federal government is awarding contracts to contractors who are known to have violated labor laws – and this practice needs to end. Violating contractors have received over $81 billion in contracts, despite violating labor laws more than 1,800 times.

“Today, President Obama took a stand for American workers by signing an executive order that will promote fairer and safer workplaces for employees of government contractors. While many federal contractors already play by the rules and try to treat their workers fairly, thousands of hard-working Americans end up being denied the pay they deserve, or being exposed to health and safety risks, because some contractors insist on cutting corners in the name of profits.” – Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworker Union

We are encouraging tradeswomen to submit their comments, to make their voices heard in support of government actions that improve the lives of working people, deliver superior construction projects to the public, and ensure that contractors have a fair playing field.

While the executive order extensively covers many aspects of labor law, we are highlighting just a few:

  • Paycheck transparency – specifically showing hourly rates used to calculate payments so that workers can more easily identify when wage theft is happening
  • Strengthens protections against discrimination by not allowing contractors to force mediation as the primary solution to discrimination complaints
  • Requiring contractors to reveal labor law violations when bidding for contracts
  • Strengthening collective bargaining

Your comments will be most effective when you highlight your own personal experience in the industry. The National Women’s Law Center and the AFL-CIO Building Trades are encouraging comments specifically demonstrating the importance of the paycheck transparency and any evidence folks have about how law abiding contractors perform better on projects.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS

9th Annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute

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Where is the best place in Oregon to get together with other tradeswomen? Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute (TLI) of course!! This year the event will be Friday September 25 and Saturday September 26. Some of you already know all about this, so if you are eager to register, you can do so now!

We start out on Friday night with a celebration for tradeswomen, which includes a social hour and a special event: Tradeswomen Stories! Five tradeswomen will be on stage telling their true stories live. If you register for TLI you automatically get one ticket free but you are encouraged to bring friends and family! Additional tickets are for sale for $15.

The Tradeswomen Leadership Institute facilitates the leadership development, advocacy skills, and unity among all women (union, open shop, self-employed and otherwise) working in the building, construction, mechanical and utility trades. 2015 will mark the 9th annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute, planned by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), the University of Oregon’s Labor Education Research Center (LERC), and a dedicated committee of tradeswomen volunteers. This year committee members were: Barbara Byrd, Irais Gandarilla, Anjeanette Brown, Leigh Jenkins, Maddie Ettlin, Sarah Heidler, Lori Baumann, Bea Jenkins, Kadence Jimenez, Jodi Tillinghast, and Becki Yanosko. We are so grateful for all of the time they put into planning and volunteering for this event!

This year we will have 8 workshops (instead of the normal 9). We did this to focus on an extended workshop about mentorship – both how to be a mentor and how to find a mentor. It is going to be a great topic! We also have workshops on running for office, social justice, and a return from Innovative Changes to teach Financial planning.

We encourage tradeswomen to ask their employers or unions to send them to this great event. The cost is $55 with a $10 discount for all OTI members. We are more than happy to invoice your company or union, just make sure you ask them first! If you need more support with that process, Tiffany would be happy to help.

We also want to be supportive of those who are not being sponsored and maybe be new to work or perhaps currently underemployed. We do offer scholarships, just tell us you are interested in your registration, and we will be in touch! For those with kids, we have you covered too! We are offering $40 per child scholarships to help with childcare costs. This is a first come, first served scholarship with limited spots so register early!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Back Fence PDX & Tradeswomen Stories

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OTI is really excited for the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute (TLI) this year! The show last year, My Walk Has Never Been Average, had such a great response (sold out 400 tickets) that we wanted to build on that momentum. With this in mind, we partnered  with Back Fence PDX, an amazing, nationally recognized live storytelling series. Indeed, you read that correctly, LIVE storytelling! On Friday, September 25, 2015 five tradeswomen will put aside their hardhats and brave the stage to tell true, poignant, funny, and revealing stories about their lives and experiences as women in the trades.  Back Fence PDX Producers B. Frayn Masters and Mindy Nettifee will graciously be coaching the storytellers and hosting the live show!

The live storytelling event will take place at DISJECTA8371 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR. The door will open at 6:30 pm with drinks and snacks available for purchase. Stories will begin at 7:30 pm. Please keep in mind that we have much more limited seating than last year and we expect that these tickets are going to sell out quickly! You can purchase them now for $15 per ticket.

Great! Now that you have your tickets, you can RSVP and share this event from Facebook.  Thank you for your support! We can’t wait to see you there!

**If you are a tradeswomen, register for TLI and your ticket is included!

Meet OTI TACC Graduate, Melissa Mazurek:

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Melissa was just 22 years old when she enrolled in Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) – a pre-apprenticeship program preparing women for success in the building, construction, mechanical, and utility trades. She was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan which is on the west side of the state, not too far from Lake Michigan. Here is her story:

I left home at 18, and after traveling all over the country and working seasonal jobs in Montana, I met my current partner, and about 3 and a half years ago, by chance, ended up staying in Portland.

Before starting my training at OTI last year, I was unemployed. I worked a few odd jobs here and there .. farmer’s markets, bakeries, and did farm work in Montana each year. I was homeless off and on. A lot of it had to do with not being satisfied with where I was and what I was doing. I was moving around too much and ended up completely broke more often than not. The seasonal farm work I had done in Montana each year provided me with a little bit of savings, but I couldn’t find a full time job that paid well and held my interest. OTI’s pre-apprenticeship program and the people I met while going through the class helped me realize that the jobs I had dreamed about being able to get were actually possible.

I learned about OTI’s class from a couple of friends who told me about either going through the program or having a partner who did. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go through with it at first. It seemed so intimidating to walk into a classroom again after years of avoiding it to learn something I was completely unfamiliar with. I was a little afraid of failing (isn’t everyone?), and thought, ‘What if I do this and it doesn’t work out either?‘  Luckily, I have some people in my life who are very supportive, and they talked me into it. I’m pretty damn glad they did.

During my time with OTI, the biggest thing I noticed were the changes within myself. I felt timid and unsure about the class and everything when I started. At the end, everything had completely changed. My classmates and instructors had gotten me so excited about the new opportunities that lay ahead, and I felt more confident and stronger than ever. I finally had some idea of where I wanted my work/career to go. Plus, we did all those killer fitness training work outs, and after getting through those, I think we all felt like we could accomplish anything!

I started at Gunderson, LLC, a part of the Greenbrier Companies. Currently, I’m a fitter welder. When I began training in September of 2014, they started me out at $12.60 an hour. After a month of training and passing some weld tests, they bumped me up to $16.80 an hour, and I am now earning $18.65 an hour! And I will receive another raise after I am here for a year.

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The best thing about welding is how extremely satisfying it feels to lay out beautiful, strong welds. It’s a really fun trade! I’m also slightly competitive and work in a pretty fast paced, production environment, so I like to time myself and see what I can do to be faster and still pump out high quality parts. I really love the fitting aspect of it too, all the measuring and putting things perfectly in place. I’ve always liked detailed jobs. At Gunderson, we get to make parts for train cars/ whole train cars, and I’m sort of a nerd for trains, so it’s cool to be a part of producing them.

Moving ahead, I’d really like to learn more welding processes, get some certifications, and explore other areas of production. I’m at the very beginning of this journey and know I still have a lot to learn. In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so that’s also something I’d like to work up to over the next few years.

Two years ago, I would have never imagined being able to accomplish what I have in the past year. It’s crazy how much has happened! OTI really gave me a lot of confidence and is such a valuable resource and support system. I honestly don’t think I could have done all of this so quickly on my own and am incredibly grateful for what OTI has taught me and helped me with.

Whether it was relearning my shop math, helping me find connections to learn about welding, or literally sending my resume to an employer and helping me get an interview, OTI has been there. Things felt a little hopeless before I went through the pre-apprenticeship program. Now I have a job that I love, my own apartment and a little extra income to use to enjoy doing things I couldn’t be doing otherwise. It’s awesome!

If I were to give any advice to other women considering pursing an apprenticeship and a career in the trades is to do it!  Plain and simple. Some days are really going to suck and you might want to quit, while others are exhilarating and fun. It can be frustrating, but it’s totally worth it in the end. What you learn and what you challenge yourself to do will only make you stronger.

Oh, and I would also recommend that you get lots of sleep, eat well, and exercise often! Saying please, thank you and staying calm in tough work situations will get you a long way with all of your coworkers. Also, never be afraid to ask for help, it shows that you have the desire and will to learn.

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Check out the Public Service Announcement Bank of America developed about OTI’s Women in Metals & Manufacturing program which features Melissa!

Published: Friday, August 7, 2015

Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America

20150806_201031(Pictured from the left: Connie Ashbrook, Miriam Frank, Madelyn Elder)

We frequently find our dear Executive Director Connie Ashbrook out and about in the media – TV Interviews and Magazine Articles. We also know that the incredible Madelyn Elder is Northwest famous in the labor community, only recently stepping down as president of CWA before starting work full time for OTI as our Chief Financial Officer (We are so lucky!). Rarely do we find both of these incredible women featured in one place! Yet, this is exactly what you get in Miriam Frank’s Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America.

On Thursday August 6, the Q Center hosted Frank for a reading from the book. To appeal to her audience, she shared quotes and stories from Portland area activists. During a passage featuring Elder, there was laughter as she realized everything (including a small bit of scandal!) that she had shared during the interview. It was at this time that the audience discovered that Elder and Ashbrook had been interviewed in 1995 – making their quotes deliciously new to them as well!  Frank, clearly fond of many of the attendees, casually interacted with the audience and invited them to comment and build on stories they had shared for the book – creating an atmosphere of community and camaraderie.

If you want a little taste right now, here are a couple of short quotes:

“Connie Ashbrook came out at work in the early 1990s.  The ultraconservative Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) proposed Measure 9 (1992) … to mandate the firing of LGBT workers…Although the elevator construction industry was nobody’s target, Ashbrook came out at work merely by displaying a “No on 9″ bumper sticker on her lunch box. She told her union business agent that the measure would harm her personally.” (pg. 27)

“I don’t think the New York guys were interested in the gay thing at all but they were pissed at the local leadership, and they saw it as a union democracy issue. Then there were two gay men who came, telephone operators. And then some white male installers showed up, guys from Seattle, with their crew cuts. They were going, “Where’s the gays?” And there I am with my little hand raised. It was frightening to get up and talk about gay rights.” (Elder, pg 88)

For those of us who advocate for Queer Rights and Workers’ Rights OR those who just want to know what role Labor Advocates played in the Queer Movement – this book is for you. And Miriam Frank wrote this as oral histories, so you have a chance to get to know advocates who pushed the movement forward.  Plus, it is a great way to get to know both Connie and Madelyn a little better – from their own voices 20 years ago. If you buy the book from Amazon, remember that you can do a little good for OTI at the same time, and support us with Amazon Smile.

OTI Grows with help from Advantis Credit Union

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In July, Oregon Tradeswomen was invited to participate as a semi-finalist in the GROW: The Advantis Community Fund social media contest and as a result, was awarded a $5,000 grant!

The fund is a $50,000 grant designed to provide nonprofit and service organizations with financial resources to address a wide range of needs and tackle challenges in the community, one project at a time.  Oregon Tradeswomen, and six additional non-profits, received a portion of the grant.  OTI received $5,000 to provide low-income women with “Ready to Work” safety gear, including measuring tapes, hard hats, safety glasses, rain gear, gloves, tool belts, and bus passes. This will prepare our pre-apprenticeship students for employment in high-wage construction trades careers as well as transportation assistance for access to job interviews and job sites.

Congratulations to the other recipients on their awards:  Children’s Book Bank, Raphael House, SnowCap Community Charities, Store to Door, and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.

A big thanks to Advantis for inviting OTI to participate in a fun campaign and awarding OTI with this generous grant!

Scholarship Fund Supporter: Metro

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Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. thanks Metro Regional Government for its support as a Pathways to Success scholarship fund contributor!

The scholarship fund program supports the impactful work of our Pathways to Success program, namely, our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC).

The TAC class program offers a focus on apprenticeship through a 7-week, state-certified, pre-apprenticeship training class that helps women prepare for a high skill, high wage career in the blue-collar professions in construction, manufacturing and the utility trades. Class sessions occur four times a year.

TACC covers key elements that lead to a successful outcome for students as well as teaching the grit, perseverance, and timeliness skills that also contribute to professional readiness: basic math and measurement, job safety in addition to construction culture, using hand and power tools, and physical fitness training. All of this is included with the 30 hours of hands-on training experience working with professional tradeswomen.

Thanks again to Metro for its generous contribution.  If you would like to learn more about the scholarship fund, please see our Pathways to Success Scholarship Fund page for all the details or send an email inquiry to Dennise (at) tradeswomen.net.

Call to Action: Tell Congress You Support Funding WANTO

priscillasmiles.jpgThe Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) Act is a small pool of money that organizations like Oregon Tradeswomen rely on to run pre-apprenticeship classes for women.  WANTO appropriations amounted to less than $2 million over the last two years, but the program’s impact on women’s economic security is colossal.  With the support of this crucial funding source, WANTO grantees (including Oregon Tradeswomen) have helped thousands of women access meaningful careers in male-dominated industries with quality, family-supporting wages.  Regions where WANTO-funded organizations work have more than twice the national average of women employed in construction trades.  WANTO works!

Oregon Tradeswomen needs your help:  The federal budget under currently under consideration by Congress provides zero dollars for WANTO.  But with your help, we can change that and get WANTO back in the budget.  We need your voice for our message to be heard in Congress.

The best way to support Oregon Tradeswomen’s efforts to keep WANTO alive is to contact your elected representatives and tell them how vital WANTO is to women in the trades.  We’ve made it easy – you can write to your representative with the simple template linked below.  (Make sure to read through and personalize your message.)  Support tradeswomen, support OTI, and support our sister organizations around the nation.  Tell Congress that programs that work should be expanded, not cut out of the budget.  Fund WANTO, WANTO works!

WANTO Support Letter Template