Archive for February 2016
OTI Hosts Global Women Leaders Discussion
On February 10, 2016 OTI was honored to host a group of 20 women from 20 different countries. These women were visitors to the U.S. through the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
According to the Department of State, the goals for this group are to:
- Examine the U.S. political system and women’s participation at the local, state, and national levels;
- Explore programs and initiatives that encourage young women to become involved in politics, run for office, and run effective campaigns;
- Introduce the role of women’s organizations in shaping political dialogue and convey an understanding of effective interaction and support among women across various sectors;
- Gain insight to legislation and programs that promote equal pay and fair treatment for women in the workplace and promote the value of women’s contributions in the home and as primary caregivers for the young and the elderly; and
- Introduce initiatives and legislation that address women’s needs in the areas of health and education.
OTI staff Leigh McIlvaine and Tiffany Thompson really enjoyed presenting to this incredible group of women. During their hour with the group they explained construction apprenticeship, OTI’s Programs, and the larger advocacy work of both OTI and the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues. They also covered some brief information about International Tradeswomen work including a 2015 Calendar featuring tradeswomen from across the world (our own AJ Banuelos was featured as May!), Susan Moir’s Fulbright Scholarship researching women in the trades in India, and women in the Trades and Civil Engineering in Japan.
The second half of the visit was spent in open discussion about OTI’s work and women working in the trades in other nations. These women leaders were incredible and insightful; discussion topics included from maternity leave, union political power, cultural perceptions of women working as manual laborers, and fighting myths about the value of blue collar work. Many of the women shared that this was the first time they had a chance to talk about women working in the construction industry and they were excited to think about career opportunities for women in a different way. OTI is certainly looking forward to questions from them in the future about advocating for tradeswomen in their countries!
If you are interested, you can see the full list of visitors below:
Participant List Women in Pol & Social Sectors (MRP).
Thank You, Vigor, for Your Scholarship Fund Contribution
OTI extends our deepest gratitude to Vigor for their support of our work and their generous contribution to our Pathways to Success Scholarship fund.
Vigor is the leading provider of shipbuilding, complex fabrication, and ship repair and conversion in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. They have twelve locations and more than 2,500 workers who work to fabricate heavy, high complexity projects from structural bridge girders to nuclear containment devices, from dam lift gates to space launch complex towers. Vigor loves to build.
Vigor is privately owned and publicly minded. They value training, hard work, and smart thinking. Vigor is serious about safety and environmental stewardship. Vigor’s companies share a common goal: providing world-class maritime and industrial services to support our customers and strengthen the communities where we live and work.
Vigor is a sponsor of our annual Women in Trades Career Fair and they generously hosted us last year when Bank of America presented us with the 2015 Neighborhood Builder Award. OTI has great respect for Vigor’s company values: Truth, Responsibility, Evolution, and Love.
If you didn’t make it to the 2016 Annual Meeting…
We missed you! Hopefully, you can join us next year – in January, 2017!
As happens each year, Connie shared OTI’s accomplishments from 2015. The short summary version is that it was a very busy year for staff. If you want the more detailed version, well, you are going to have to wait a little longer. We are going to be releasing an annual report later this year and we don’t want to spoil all that hard work!
A critical piece of the Annual Meeting is voting in board members for their two year terms for both new and continuing board members. This year Aida Aranda and Stephanie Peters extended the terms of their board service, and Emily Wigre joined OTI’s Board of Directors!
Sometimes when we welcome someone new, we also have to say goodbye to someone else. After two terms of service, Cari Ebbert decided it was time for her to transition to a new role. She shared her passion for OTI, particularly the important role she feels the organizations plays in creating a community of tradeswomen who support each other. Cari is not a graduate of OTI’s TAC Class, but talked about volunteering for her union at the Women in Trades Career Fair every year. Once she realized that OTI coordinated the entire event, she began to volunteer with us as well! Thank you so much Cari for all of your time and dedication. We look forward to seeing you at OTI events and supporting us in new ways in the future.
We wrapped up the evening by recognizing our 2015 Outstanding volunteers and by holding a raffle. Believe it or not, Jen Netherwood was a winner again! Between hard work and good luck, we suspect she will be running the world soon. Overall, there were 61 people in attendance representing 19 different trades!
See you next year!
Support & Network Meetings for Women Who Served
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) will host a series of meetings for women who served/women veterans. These support and network meetings will take place quarterly at OTI’s offices from 6:00 – 7:30 pm.
- Wednesday, February 24, 2016
- Wednesday, June 1, 2016
- Wednesday, August 31, 2016
- Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Any and all women with military experience, Active Reserve or National Guard Service, and all who support women veterans are welcome to attend.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
3934 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite #101
Portland Oregon 97212
Enter the building from Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Free parking in the lot behind the building.
Light refreshments and coffee will be served.
Contact us with any questions:
503.335.8200 x 21
info@oregontradeswomen.org
2016 Women Build the Nation
Registration is open for the 2016 Women Build the Nation! It is going to be in Chicago this year – the first time the event will be held outside of California. Registrations and hotel rooms are going quickly. If you are looking forward to the event, now is the time to register! The conference takes place from April 29 – May 1, 2016. Registrations received by February 29 will only cost $100, (with a $15 discount for North American’s Building Trade Unions affiliates!).
We know many tradeswomen in Oregon really want to attend, but are wondering how to afford it? Your employer or union might sponsor you to attend. Asking early this month is a great idea so that you can offer them the best deal with early bird registration. Don’t forget to ask for wage replacement too!
If you aren’t sure how to go about asking for this support, don’t worry, Women Build the Nations is looking out for you. They have example requests, details about the conference value, and information on how to make a motion from the floor to help you out!
If you want some extra support from Oregon Tradeswomen, reach out to Tiffany and set something up!