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News Archive: Info for and About Tradeswomen Tradeswomen Panel Tells Stories Rosie Stories: BOLI Tradeswoman Advocates for Women in Apprenticeship Honoring African-American sisters in the trades: Past and Present Sexual Harassment Topic of August 1998 OTN Meeting What do I say?: Snappy comebacks to dumb insults A Woman
on the Move: Truck Driver Earns Recognition from Contractor
Tradeswomen Panel Tells Stories “Why do you think that lifting a 250 lbs person is woman’s work but lifting 50-70 lbs of construction materials is man’s work?” carpenter Anne Galisky asked at International Women’s Day. Anne, welder DJ Darco, and apprentice electrician Shona Dudley shared their own stories and tried to find answers to big questions like why aren’t there more women in the trades. Many thanks to the speakers and the OT members who were in a supportive audience of 20. You can hear the witty and serious stories shared that day, thanks to a friend of DJ’s who captured the panel on video. The film lasts about 50 minutes and is getting rave reviews. Here’s a preview: Shona: “When I was a first year apprentice, I had an older steamfitter get in my face and say, ‘You’re only here because they needed to fill a quota.’ I laughed, and I said, ‘Hell yeah, it was an advantage [to be a woman], and I took advantage of it. You only got into the Steamfitters 30 years ago because they were filling a quota: you had to be white, male, and you had to have a father, a brother, an uncle or a cousin who was a steamfitter.’ And he said, ‘I never thought of it that way.’” DJ: “Changes aren’t going to happen by continuing to sweep the dirt under the rug....I tried very hard to make it better for the next ones coming down the line, and yes, my friends, one voice does make a difference.” As a side note, DJ is opening a weld shop called “Migisi Fabrications.” “Migizi” is a Chipawa word for eagle because as DJ says, “I soar with the eagles.” Call OT for her contact info. Call OT to borrow a copy of the video of the panel. Reach Molly at 503-335-8200 x24 or email molly@tradeswomen.net. April, 2003
Rosie Stories: BOLI Tradeswoman Advocates for Women in Apprenticeship “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate in my life—I came into college when people were interested in seeing women in nontraditional trades.” Tamara Boyd remembers switching majors from Art to Industrial Education as a life changing experience. These days Tamara works in the Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) in the Apprenticeship and Training Division (ATD). But in the early days of her career, she sold industrial tools at Chown Hardware. She ran her own woodworking business, and taught shop at Benson High School. For three years, she served as the Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Associated General Contractors. Wherever she’s worked, from the shop to the desk, Tamara has always been an advocate for women in the trades. The Oregon State Apprenticeship Council (OSATC) is the governing body that approves and oversees apprenticeship programs. State workers like Tamara track the activities of several apprenticeship programs and help to insure that the training is equitable, high quality and consistent. “Our division, BOLI-ATD, provides technical assistance to local apprenticeship programs to insure that the program operates in a manner consistent with state law, rules and OSATC directives. One of our primary goals is to insure that equal treatment and opportunities are available for all Oregon workers, apprentices and applicants.” Tamara reviews the records of programs, keeps up with the number of apprentices, the hours they log, and who the registered training agents and apprenticeship committee members are. It’s work that Tamara admits some might find kind of dull and dry. However, for Tamara the work is fascinating. She enjoys “working with committees, organizations, employers and apprentices to refine programs and design new programs to provide life long skills.” Her job brings together her love of hands-on, industrial work and her commitment to trades education. “This [job at BOLI-ATD] has worked out really well; it feels full circle for me.” She does sometimes miss the wood shop. “I love the smell of sawdust and cutting oil; I have a passion for how things go together and how things are made.” Tamara’s family encouraged her to build. “Somewhere between 2nd and 4th grade, I built my first little table and chairs.” With her father, an engineer, her mother, an artist, Tamara grew up with the “confidence to work with tools.” For Tamara, gender stereotypes about women being fragile don’t make sense, especially in working class culture. “Look at pioneer women. Women are the farmers, till the fields and the crops. The idea that women are pampered doesn’t exist.” Tamara continues to change stereotypes about women and to encourage women to enter the trades through her membership of Oregon Tradeswomen, her service on the Fair Planning Committee and her work at BOLI. Change is an on-going process. “You expect big changes, but it’s incremental.” January, 2003
The topic of OTN’s January meeting was “Beyond the Trades”. Four tradeswomen, Anne Galisky, Chris Parks, Bev Woodsong and Judy Campagna, who used their trades knowledge and experience to move into a related line of work, were our panelists. Judy Campagna was working as a social-workerwhen she decided to switch careers. She took classes to get certified in commercial refrigeration and then worked in that field for 13years, including doing the refrigeration and maintenance work for Wendys. Judy had just started looking for her next challenge when she heard about B-FIT. “I didn’t intend to become a teacher, but I really wanted to work with women who wanted to get into the trades. That first class was very difficult. We has 55 students, no materials, no parts. Most of my life I’ve done things that were really hard for me. Now I’m looking for something thats comes more easily to me.” (Two of our panelists were B-FIT grads, so we know Judy is a wonderful success as a teacher!) Anne Galisky went from working in a production futon making business to dry rot repair/handy person to B-FIT to residential remodeler to owning her own business as a general contractor. She loves all the different “hats” she wears as a general. The hardest part about switching from doing the work to being in charge was dealing with all the money. “We did a $200,000 remodel while the people were living in it. After getting thru that experience, it really helped me to get over my fear of money.” Chris Parks got her start as a quality control worker for a coffee company. That job lead into being a weights and measures inspector for the State of Oregon. She was the person who checked the pumps at the gas station to make sure a gallon was a gallon, and premium was really premium. She checked scales at stores and even measured to make sure people got a full cord of wood. She got a lot of satisfaction out of protecting the consumer. Management decided they wanted Chris to be a supervisor because she know the contract and grievance procedure so well. She got a little bit of resistance from the men at first about her being the boss. “I have a tendance to get motherly” Chris laughed, “So I have to be careful!” Bev was working at the library when she decided to go through B-FIT. She is now a journey-level electrician. She has worked as a foreman and as a general foreman. “If you are a mother, you have the skills to be a foreman”, Bev explained. “There is a certain amount of enjoyment and pain in being the general foreman. It’s good to know that I can do it. Being a woman in a man’s field is such an individual thing. I try to look at each man as an individual instead of a group of them’". From inspector, to manager, to teacher to owning your own business, there are a lot of options out there for tradeswomen who want to use their experience to go “Beyond the Trades”. Many thanks to our panelists. Honoring African-American sisters in the trades: Past and Present Our program tonight is honoring the work of African-American women who helped our country to victory in WWII, and are building Oregon today. Donna Hammond and Annette Sowder are following in the footsteps of their grandmothers, following a legacy of hard work, struggle and pride. Here are their stories. Donna Hammond talked about her pathway to becoming an electrician. “When I decided to get in, I had no idea my grandmother had worked in the shipyards. My family didn’t encourage me to be an electrician. They wanted me to stay at US West and become an executive. My family values me being an electrician now. They gave me a lot of support and encouragement through the hard times. I was hoping to bring my grandmother tonight. But she is 89 years old and has had 5 total knee replacements. She has a very strong spirit, but she gets tired easily. She worked as a welder building the largest aircraft carrier in WWII.” Annette Sowder’s grandmother and grandfather had also worked in the shipyards. “They moved here from Arkansas and settled in Vanport”, Annette said. “They worked really long hours - it was pretty difficult and the treatment wasn’t the best so my grandmother didn’t want to talk about it.” “I got into the trades so I could learn a trade that no one could take away from me. My last job was working at the light rail station at the zoo. We figured we set 440 TONS of stone there! I’m working on a mansion now that belongs to a guy who owns American Steel. It has a 1700 sq ft. bathroom.” Many thanks to Annette and Donna for sharing your own and your family stories with us. The legacies that your families have built in Oregon are an enduring We've gotten several letters from our members that really captured the variety and spirit of a tradeswoman's experience....... From carpenter Donna Raynalds, who served her apprenticeship in Portland before going off to teach woodworking in Swaziland as a Peace Corp volunteer, returning to Portland to teach at the Skill Center, and now-here's what she tells us. "..The City Council of Cairo (Illinois) hired me for one year--until
May 1997 to continue working on community/economic development projects.
However, I have recently been assigned the task of coordinating a housing
rehabilitation grant program that is funded through December 1997, so I
will probably stay until then.
From steamfitter Sue Gardner,
And from Barbara Walters another long-time steamfitter now turned plumber.
Here's where the challange comes in. I have to change crafts, become a plumber. Well, any steamfitter knows those plumbers don't have to know much. That old Army-Navy rivalry, you know. But the picture's a little clearer from the other side of the fence. I'm back in night school, OJT, and have entered the world of closet augers, trap arms, finish wrenches, sweep tees and something that sounds like 'owl hoots'. Did you know there are 78 pages of word definitions in a plumbers' manual? And the pages aren't small folks. After 20 years of speaking steamfitter, it's quite a chore to become bilingual. So now, silver haired and 50, I'm lovingly referred to as the 'Fairy GodPlumber' by those closest to me. Somehow it seemed fitting a few weeks ago as the little children in a school anxiously gathered around me. I was repairing their favorite drinking fountain. 'It's the best tasting and the coldest', they told me. 'It's been broken a while, can you fix it'? I sure hope so, I thought to myself. I'd rather stand up to a General Foreman and a Superintendent than disappoint 10 pumkin hearted 3rd graders. You had to be there! When the handle turned and the water flowed a cheer went up and a line formed. Bless their hearts, they insisted I have cuts to taste for myself. Whew!! A continuing challange. Wishing you peace and joy on the coming year, Barbara" Thanks, sisters, for sharing your interesting lives with us! Board Chair Susan Dobrof introduced Ray Thomas, an attorney in her firm: Swanson, Thomas and Coon. Ray said that before he became an attorney, he worked on an oil rig an assistant electrician and a cook, so he has an appreciation for what working in the trades is all about. He said that in his job, he represents working class people who have been terribly injured on the job. “Workers learn and use common sense but common sense doesn’t help you in that 1 in 100,000 time when all the wrong things come together.” He went on to tell us very interesting stories of cases from his experience. He encouraged us to learn about safety rules, to develop safety consciousness and to learn about OR-OSHA and how it can protect us. Many thanks, Ray, for sharing your expertise and experience with us tonight. Sexual Harassment Topic of August 1998 OTN Meeting Megan Glor is an attorney with the firm Swanson, Thomas and Coon, who bases part of her practice on discrimination cases. Following is a synopsis of what Megan had to share. There are different types of sex based discrimination. A hostile work environment is one in which there are constant comments said to a woman that would not be said to a man, pictures being displayed, innuendo, etc. A quid pro quo environment is one in which it is very directly said that if you do X for me you will get Y (or if you don't do X for me you will not get Y). When a claim is filed in Oregon, it is brought under both state and federal law. In order to file under federal law you must go through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first. The statute of limitations are one year. In Oregon, the most commonly used method to file with the EEOC is to file with the state Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI). The process is that a plaintiff files a complaint, the employer files an argument against the complaint, and BOLI reviews the case to determine if it should go to court. It takes approximately one year for BOLI to complete the investigation (they have an obligation to the plaintiff to make a decision in one year). If BOLI decides not to take the case to trial, the plaintiff can file her own lawsuit with her own attorney. Unsuccessful methods for proving the discrimination are saying it happened "because I know it is true" or "it is not happening to the men." The evidence has to be more concrete. Successful arguments include coworkers coming forward in support of the plaintiff or showing it is an unusual action for an employer. An example of an unusual action would be an employer establishing a rule which is not enforced. Then the plaintiff was punished for breaking this rule that most other employees have broken without punishment. The standard used to determine if the workplace was hostile is the reasonable woman standard. If a reasonable woman would be offended by the actions then the workplace was hostile. A claim can not be brought forth based on an isolated incident ˆ a pattern must be established. In order to win you almost always must have termination, demotion or a change to a bad shift. If a plaintiff wins the jury will try to make an award that will make her "whole" again ˆ trying to put her back in the position she was in before the discrimination. This can include back pay or change in job pay. The plaintiff will not have to pay the employer's attorney fees if the employer wins. This is important because many lawyers will take on cases on a contingency fee, which means the plaintiff does not need to pay anything out of pocket. It typically costs $5,000 to $20,000 per case that goes to trial. Many of the women at the meeting had personal stories to share. Almost everyone had been in a sexual harassment situation. The meeting provided a place for everyone to tell their story (if they wished) and to get support. A few women told stories of being harassed by a co-worker and having their employer deal with the situation appropriately. Many thanks, Megan for your informative presentation. And thanks to the tradeswomen for sharing your stories of how you dealt with these difficult situations. What do I say?: Snappy comebacks to dumb insults Our program tonight of coming up with snappy answers for those insults that can leave us so tongue-tied. Here are some of the common insults women are faced with: Q: Do you know what you are doing?
Q: Are you an apprentice?
Q: Do you have a daddy in the trade?
Remark: You should marry someone and stay home.
We talked about the difference between remarks and attitudes that make your work place uncomfortable, sexual harassment and behaviors that either interferred with your work or made work unsafe, and actual criminal assault. We decided that being prepared with snappy comebacks really helps to defuse hostility and make you a part of the team, but the proper response to sexual harassment and behaviors that either interferred with your work or made work unsafe was to report it to your supervisor - and up the ladder if your supervisor did not deal with it. And, we decided, the proper response to criminal assault was to call the police. It was a thoughtful, informative discussion that gave us some tools to build our rightful place in the trades workforce. Tradeswomen say top issues are:
We also asked tradeswomen to let us know how they would like to be involved in the work of OTN - in mentoring beginning tradeswomen, speaking to women and girls about their career or to participate in a project like Christmas in April. Many thanks to the over 50 women who have already asked to participate in some way. Dr. Barbara Byrd, from the Labor Education and Research Center, will be helping us sort and make sense of the data from the survey so we can best use the information gathered. We will be reporting on all the information later this year but wanted to share some of the preliminary findings. Let us know if you have other tradeswomen that need surveys. We will
be happy to send them out. Keep your eyes on this space - we will report
on all the survey findings
by attorneys at Swanson, Thomas & Coon Question: I got hurt on the job a few years ago and filed a Worker’s
Compensation claim. After I got back to work, the insurance company closed
the claim. Now I am having a lot more pain, and am afraid its gotten worse.
Can I go back to the doctor even though my claim is closed?
Question: When I was injured on the job, my boss said he could
not afford a Worker’s Compensation claim, and fired me. What do I do now?
Question: After I got hurt, the doctor released me to a “ light
duty” job. My supervisor says there is no light duty work˜don’t they have
to give me work?
A Woman on the Move: Truck Driver Earns Recognition from Contractor Truck driver Leah Bring earned honors as Stacy and Witbeck Inc.’s employee of the month for December. Leah drives an end dump truck and operates a “low boy” trailer on the three-year, $100 million Interstate MAX project in North Portland. Project Superintendent Bill Bruce gives Leah accolades for going where few women have gone before.
Leah is modest about the honor. “I’m trying really hard,” she says. Leah didn’t dream of being a truck driver. But for the past 21 years, she has earned a living hauling everything from wheat to logs, cotton to people. Her love of hard work and fresh air have kept her seeking out new opportunities to improve her skills and her work environment. Leah has worked for Stacy and Witbeck for six months. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” she says. She likes working with others who appreciate doing the job right, and likes the diversity on her current job site. “It’s really nice to have another girl around.” Growing up in Northeastern Oregon, Leah worked with her grandfather on potato farms. She first drove a tractor while in high school; from there, she started hauling hay, then ventured into hauling wood chips and logs. Before she knew it, Leah had developed a career – and had developed ways to manage being the only woman in a field full of men. “It’s a hard job,” she says. “We all have to work together to make it safe.” When she isn’t driving trucks, Leah parents her 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and takes time to swim and read. (12/01)
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