Rosie Stories: Cyndy Shows Mettle in Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal Women Speak Out

Sheet Metal Women: Proud of their Craft

Sheet Metal Training Center Partners With Oregon Tradeswomen
 

Rosie Stories: Cyndy Shows Mettle in Sheet Metal

Cyndy Chan, a third year sheet metal apprentice at Local 16, is headed to the regional apprentice competition.  That means she’s making the grade—actually the top grades in her classes like shop and drafting—and she has a chance to match her mathematical and mechanical skills against other top-ranked apprentices.

Cyndy found the trades through her activism.  In 1996, she began organizing an anti-sweatshop campaign and a Nike boycott in Portland.  Through Jobs with Justice, she learned about unions, and through unions, she learned about the trades.  “I tried doing a lot of different things for work, and I finally realized I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had a good union job.”

When she heard interviews with union tradeswomen on KBOO’s Labor Radio in the spring of 1999, she identified with the “searching” each of these women had gone through looking for the right career. “I just knew I had to give it a shot. When they gave out the number for the Oregon Tradeswomen Network, I wrote it down.” Soon she began exploring the trades through Oregon Tradeswomen’s Pathways to Success program.

“I was raised to believe that there was no such thing as men’s work and women’s work, but I still knew what my parents had in mind for me was go to college and work behind a desk. The message just wasn’t out there that trades work—working with your hands— was a viable alternative.” 

Now Cyndy is committed to getting the word out about careers in the trades.  She continues her activism with Jobs with Justice, the Local 16 Volunteer Organizing Committee, and leading TO GO workshops for young women. 

Cyndy is looking forward to the chance to compete in the regional apprentice contest, even if preparing for it cuts into her activist time for a few weeks. “A Carpenters’ union organizer once told me that, if you really want to earn other tradespeople’s respect for your ideas, you have to show ‘em that you can do the work—that you’re competent in your trade. Once you do that, even people who disagree with you start to listen.” 

February, 2003
 

Sheet Metal Women Speak Out

In December, the apprenticeship training coordinators for sheet metal programs all over the US and Canada gathered in Portland for their annual conference. Featured on the agenda were: Mary Coffey from Philadelphia, Leslie Reinmiller from Los Angeles and OTN member Lydia Shevchuck from Portland. They spoke on “Emerging Roles of Women Within the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry”. 

Mary started off saying that growing up, she had no interest whatsoever in “domestic engineering”. She said, “I knew absolutely that my mother was not having a good time. When I tried to follow my brothers into the apprenticeship program, I was shocked to find out women were not allowed. By the time the gender barrier was lifted, I was over the age limit of 25. I was 31 before age limits were eliminated and I became a sheet metal worker.” 

Leslie told a story about how she dealt with sexual harassment. “While working with another journeyman, he grabbed me in a very inappropriate place. Well, after I picked my chin up off the floor, because this was someone I’d worked with for three years, I explained to him that if he ever grabbed me there again, I’d plant my knee in the exact same spot on his anatomy. Then I walked away. He appologized about 15 minutes later, I worked with him for another 31/2 years and never had any more problems. The fact is, most women have experienced sexual harassment at one time or another so it’s important that women in construction learn to deal with it. The biggest mistake most women make is that they are so embarrassed that they don’t say anything and it sends a message to the men that it’s OK.” 

Lydia said when she got into the trade she was a quiet & shy person who changed through her tradesexperiences to one who wasn’t afraid to speak up! She serves on the JATC and does a lot of speaking about her trade to young women. “For the future of recruiting I recommend that JATCs target young women in high schools with math & construction curriculum or exposures to geometry. Placing our apprentices at career fairs effectively enhances the public awareness about our sheet metal trade, and the practice of 'sheet metal P.R.’ enhances apprentice communication skills - a win-win learning experience!” 

Congratulations to the Sheet Metal Trade for producing and recognizing these three fine leaders in the industry.

Sheet Metal Women: Proud of their Craft 

Sheet metal women, apprentices and journey level, met last month to start a Women’s Support Group within their trade. Kids were welcome. Pizza and soda was provided by Sheet Metal Training Director Jerry Galarneau who opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and letting them know that they had the full support of the union and apprenticeship program, that he had an open door policy and they should feel free to come to him if there was anything he could do. He then excused himself, saying, “This is your meeting, and I’ll take off now, but I’m here if you need me.” 

The eight women present had some intense and valuable discussions, covering sexual harassment, family leave policies and their love for and pride in their craft. Various experiences of sexual harassment and ways to deal with it were brought up. The Sheet Metal Training Program has a policy on sexual harassment and discrimination that is enforced, and has teeth. Jerry came back for a few minutes to share the policies and report that there is zero tolerance for sexual harassment and racism within their program, and if the women had any problems in school or on the job to let him know, and he would take care of it. 

Women talked about the difficulty in making their employers understand that just because they need to take a day off with their sick kid, it doesn’t mean they are not loyal, hard working, valuable employees. They realized that employers are changing - and adapting to women in the workforce, but it would be good to have clear policies and guidelines so the women wouldn’t worry that taking care of their sick kid would mean losing their job. 

OTN Director Connie Ashbrook invited them to come to OTN meetings, and to participate in the Women In Trades Fair. They will be meeting again for more discussion and support.

Sheet Metal Training Center Partners With Oregon Tradeswomen 
by Traci Sullivan, Outreach/Tradeswomen Support

Welcome to our first article in a series on OT's 1999-2000 U.S. Department of Labor Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) grant partners.  If you've followed past newsletters, you know that the WANTO funding allows us to provide technical assistance in recruiting, preparing, and retaining women in the apprenticeship programs who partner with us under the grant.  We are very pleased to have the Sheet Metal Training Center as one of our partners this year.

Associated with Union Local #16, the Training Center runs a 5-year apprenticeship program which requires 10,000 hours of on-the-job training (average 2000 hours/yr.) and 189 hours per year of related training for completion.  During the 5 years, Sheet Metal apprentices learn to fabricate and install fitting and duct work used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in residential, commercial, and industrial applications.  They also learn to fabricate and install architectural-metal roofing, gutters, siding, and ornamental work.

The training facility has 9 classrooms, 3 shop areas and a balancing and testing lab, where apprentices get supervised training in areas such as shop practices, blueprint reading and sketching, layout, welding, cutting, brazing, shop mathematics, safety, and calculator layout.  Classes are held in one week increments, four times a year.  All classes are during regular working hours, which is a read advantage to working parents, whi don't have to adjust their child care schedule to attend classes.  The pay scale for a Sheet Metal Worker is from $11.97 to $24.53 per hour (1st term apprentice to Journey Level) plus benefits.  Currently there are 280 apprentices enrolled in the 5-year program, 7 of which are women.

The Training Center also offers a great pre-apprenticeship program.  A pre-apprentice works in the trad for $10.29 an hour plus benefits while waiting for the regular apprenticeship to open, or until they are qualified for the regular apprenticeship.  It's a great opportunity for applicants to get a foot-in-the-door and find out if they actually want to pursue a career in the Sheet Metal Industry.  Last August, 18 of Oregon Tradeswomen's Pathways to Success participants were accepted into this program.  Congratulations to Elizabeth Long, Celeste Owens, Venus Ross, and Cyndy Chan who are currently working as Sheet Metal Pre-Apprentices. 

Jerry Galarneau, Sheet Metal Training Director, has been very supportive of OT's work.  He has particularly enjoyed giving tours of the Training Center to groups of young women, and allowing them to work with apprentices so they can experience what the work is really like.  "We love having the girls in here and working with them.  It lets them know we're around as an opportunity for their future." 

To find out how to appy, or to learn more about this program, contact Oregon Tradeswomen at (503) 943-2228 or visit the Sheet Metal Training Center online.
 
 

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