OTI’s Annual Meeting: February 2, 2017!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

RESCHEDULED to Thursday, February 2, 2017
5:30 – 7:30 pm

Oregon Tradeswomen
3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Suite # 101
Portland, OR 97212

OTI can’t exist without the support of our membership base, our allies, and supporters. We depend on members to support OTI’s efforts, to guide the decisions of the organization, to contribute financially to the organization, to volunteer, and much more!

We hope you can join us in January to enjoy some social time, great Mexican food from La Cocina, voting on new OTI Board members, hearing about the highlights from 2016 and learning what OTI hopes to accomplish in the new year!

OTI will provide dinner and non-alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase from the restaurant bar.

Questions? Please contact Lisa Palermo, Development Director at lisa@tradeswomen.net or 503.335.8200 x 38

OTI Alumnae Spotlight: Meet Echo Dahl!

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Just before the economy took a turn for the worse in 2009, Echo Dahl moved to Portland from Arizona, to put her bachelor’s degree in Architecture to work. Unfortunately, what she encountered was a lay-off followed by five years of searching for work. While unsuccessful in finding a job, she was determined to make it on her own, and as a way to make ends meet, she bartended part time and was able to persist by living off the tip money she earned as well as some public assistance.

Echo first heard about OTI at a job fair she attended but the timing was not right because she had just given birth to her son, Onyx. She never lost the thought of a career in the trades, though, and Echo returned to OTI a couple years later – after she made the decision to pursue a career as a carpenter. She was hopeful that she would make more money than the $37,000 per year she was once able to earn in architecture.

After graduating from OTI’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class in 2013, Echo knew she would need a car in order to get to and from job sites, she made the somewhat difficult decision to give up her apartment and move in with her mother so she could use her damage deposit and tax return to buy a car.

“OTI was instrumental in my new career”

Echo now works as a project engineer for Pavillion Construction. She supports the project manager and superintendent on job sites. She was able to reach her goal of earning $60,000 a year just four years after starting OTI’s pre-apprenticeship class. When asked how OTI has helped her get to where she is today she said, “OTI was instrumental in my new career. I worked as an architecture intern and never knew my current position existed until OTI sent me on my first interview. This role essentially mirrors my old position with the (architecture) firm but it’s MUCH more fun. I get to be on site, see the construction happen, and be involved. And it PAYS better!!”

Echo was totally inspired by the trainers at OTI and her fellow tradeswomen during the TAC program. When asked what advice she would have for other women who are considering work in the trades, she said, “I tell anyone who will listen that the trades are a much smarter route than college. My college education helped me get where I am today, but if I had pursued carpentry out of high school, I could have reached the same goal while making much more money along the way and without the 50k in debt that will forever be my albatross.” 

“I went from an unemployed single mom living in an apartment just barely making it to a successful mom with a new house and a great job. I’ve finally reached all my big goals after many years of struggling. OTI made that happen.”

Echo’s future career aspirations include becoming a superintendent or project manager. She is thankful for finding OTI during a time in her life when she was searching for a new path. In her own words, “I went from an unemployed single mom living in an apartment just barely making it to a successful mom with a new house and a great job. I’ve finally reached all my big goals after many years of struggling. OTI made that happen.”

Community Event: An Oregon Agenda for Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice

OTI staff members Emma Brennan and Brynn Hall attended the Oregon Agenda for Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice on December 1st. The event was held at the historic First Baptist Church on Vancouver Avenue and was put on by Oregon’s Fair Shot for All Coalition and the Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA) with the goal of reaffirming our community’s commitment to racial and economic justice.

Amidst the political turmoil our country is facing during the post-election season, Kathy Wai of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon urged audience members to continue the fight for equality stating that “our resistance and solidarity is crucial” during this time. Further powerful speeches were heard from Amira Streeter of the Urban League of Portland, Nancy Haque of Basic Rights Oregon, and Tom Chamberlain of the Oregon AFL-CIO.

A bold 2017 legislative agenda was announced with the hopes that Oregon can continue to lead the country in it’s fight for racial, gender, and economic justice for all Oregonians.

  1. Cover all Kids promises insurance coverage for all Oregon children so they can thrive in school and start on a pathway to success in their lives.
  2. End Profiling aims change the culture of policing in Oregon to make neighborhoods safer and communities stronger by funding and creating the system needed to identify patterns of profiling and enacting accountability mechanisms to address profiling when it occurs.
  3. Paid Family Medical Leave will ensure that Oregonians can welcome a new child or take care of their own or their family member’s serious health needs without losing the income their family relies on.
  4. Reproductive Health Equity will ensure that preventative reproductive health coverage is available at zero out of pocket cost for the people who have been categorically excluded from health programs due to citizenship status and/or gender expression.
  5. Stable Homes for Oregon Families will prevent no-cause evictions and repeal the ban on rent stabilization in order to help working families maintain housing stability and curb homelessness.

It was inspiring to see the community come together to fight for racial, gender, and economic equity and it is our belief that this legislative agenda will positively affect tradeswomen and their families. Visit the Fair Shot for All  website for more information about how to get involved to make Oregon a state where everyone has opportunity.

OTI Alumnae Spotlight: Meet Brooklyn Payne

“OTI gave me the tools, but I did the work!” – Brooklyn Payne

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Brooklyn, third from the left, at the 2016 annual OTI Women in Trades Career Fair

Brooklyn grew up in Spokane, Washington. She has a fantastic adventurous spirit that led  her to travel around the United States after high school as well as living in Costa Rica for an extended amount of time. After her travels, she moved to Portland to live near her mother and sister who had relocated to the Rose City while she while she was traveling.

Before starting Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s (OTI) Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC), Brooklyn spent 12 years working as a bartender without benefits like  health insurance that are a common perk in other careers. The highest hourly wage she made in the food and beverage industry was $9.75 an hour. Brooklyn also took college   courses and accrued considerable student debt, but was unable to find the hands-on education she craved.

As Brooklyn entered into her 30’s she wanted a change: she recognized that bartending was a dead end for her and would not provide her with the means to retire some day. She heard about OTI from a friend who had also gone through the TACC program, and kept it in her mind. One day in 2014, she made the decision to commit to her future and officially enrolled in OTI’s pre-apprenticeship training program – she was 34 years old.

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“OTI was pivotal for me, and has everything to do with where I am today.”

Just two years later, Brooklyn is now working for Hoffman Structures Inc. as an apprentice carpenter on an exciting new project for Oregon Health and Sciences University. Brooklyn is 80% through her apprenticeship and is currently making $29.75 per hour! She feels great leaving work every day knowing that she is able to take care of herself and that she earned it with hard work and dedication. When asked how OTI helped her get where she is today, she said, “OTI was pivotal for me, and has everything to do with where I am today.” OTI gave her tangible skills, unconditional support, and the confidence to find a career in a field she would not have considered otherwise. But, Brooklyn also recognizes that her own internal drive and motivation to invest in her future played an important role in where she is today: “OTI gave me the tools, but I did the work!”.

“OTI gave me the tools, but I did the work!”.

When asked what advice she would give to other women considering a career in the trades, she enthusiastically replied, “You can do it! It is possible!” She also wisely advised women to keep in mind that although female workers in the trades are still relatively uncommon, any doubts that might be experienced about entering this industry are no different from doubts that would be felt in pursuing any career or career transition. She loves being a woman on the construction site, and has found a sisterhood of support though the local carpenters union.

Future goals for Brooklyn include journeying out as a carpenter, becoming a foreman, and eventually working her way up to superintendent and she has unwavering confidence in her abilities to achieve these goals.