Maine IBEW Members Attend Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference
PHOTO: Maine IBEW women at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference.
Maine IBEW members were well represented at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference on Oct. 9-11 in Houston, Texas. The conference is the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world. Members of IBEW 1253 and 567 sent members to the conference, which featured workshops and panels covering topics like leadership development, mentorship, job site safety, mental health, workers' rights, and public policy. Guest speakers included labor leaders, politicians, government officials, and industry figures. Thousands of tradeswomen also took part in a march shoulder-to-shoulder through the streets of Houston.
IBEW 1253 member Kim Tobias described the feeling of the event as “collective effervescence,” a shared sense of energy, harmony, and exaltation that bubbles up when a group of people gather for a common purpose, ritual, or activity.
“There was no negative energy,” she said. “People were just complimenting each other. Everybody was excited to be there and talking with each other. No matter what your trade, we all had something in common.”
Tobias said she was particularly inspired by workshops on how to deal with imposter syndrome, which is when women in the trades feel like they don’t belong and feel pressure to work harder than everyone else to prove themselves. Women who led the workshop suggested techniques for working through imposter syndrome like mindfulness and mediation. Another workshop discussed how to get more women in leadership roles in their unions and labor councils. It also covered how to become a small contractor and grants available for women-owned businesses in male-dominated fields like the trades.
IBEW 567 member Meghan Murphy attended the conference again this year. She said the conference was what inspired her and other 567 members to start a women’s committee in her local.
“Being with so many union women is so empowering and exciting,” she said. "It just kind of gives you a sense of accomplishment.”
Murphy said she was particularly interested in the discussions about encouraging diversity in unions and retaining diverse members.
“They offer amazing things like solutions for daycare and financial information,” she said. “It's always really, really informative.”
This year, Maine tradeswomen invited IBEW 1253 member Gary Serje along because of his strong support for women on the jobsite.
“A lot of Union brothers and sisters from our local seemed surprised that a man would be going,” said Tobias. “But having a brother there as an ally is huge because I know when you walk onto a job site as the only woman there it can feel alienating.”
Serje said as someone who is Hispanic and from away, he feels like an outsider at times, so he empathizes with trades women, who make up just 16 percent of construction trades workforce in Maine. He often approaches women on the job site to make sure they are comfortable and let them know they are supported. He said at first he was worried that he had taken a slot from a union sister by attending the event, but he was put at ease after meeting some sisters from the San Francisco-based Stationary Engineers Local 39 at a barbecue restaurant. He gave them some Local 1253 stickers and they welcomed him to their table.
“They were extremely sweet and nice,” said Serje. One of them said “thank you for being so nice and acknowledging us. That was kind like a big moment. We're all workers, you know. It was really powerful to be welcomed like that without any questions or anything.”
Serje said his union sisters have looked out for him and warned him when ICE in the area. Even though he is a U.S. citizen, the agency has been known to racially profile workers. He said it is important to check in with union brothers and sisters if they are having a bad day to make sure they’re okay.
“It was such a beautiful moment of solidarity because we all had stories of injustice,” he said. “We've all had stories about unfair practices and to just be there to support them was just really important. I came back with such a bigger appreciation for the trade and especially the women that deal with it all.”
Tobias said she would like to challenge the rest of the building trades unions in Maine to send women to the next Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference next year in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I think one of the most important things for us is just to see that we're not alone,” said Tobias. “A lot of the challenges that we face at work aren't individual challenges. They are across the board in numerous trades.”