2024 Tradeswomen Build Nations displays strength of women and unionism

Rennae Ross, Local 549 (Pittsburg, California) was an apprentice when she started attending the national Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference back in 2019 with a handful of her local lodge sisters.

“It’s what started my passion for wanting women to succeed in this industry. It was inspiring and motivating,” Ross said, recalling her first experience and the powerful plenary speakers, useful workshops, meeting and sharing ideas with other Boilermakers and the electricity of the banner parade with thousands of union building-trades women marching in downtown Minneapolis.

“It’s the motivation of everything. The resources. Seeing the women on stage and hearing them speak and their stories and where they came from and what they’ve become. It gives you hope,” she said.

Ross, who is now a journeyperson and a business agent for her local, has attended each TWBN conference ever since.

And L-549’s attendance at the event has increased each year. The local even started its own women’s committee, Boilermaker Women at Work (BW@W), catalyzed by TWBN. Now, BW@W brings women and allies together throughout the year to identify and deploy strategies to recruit more women into the Boilermaker trade, as well as address challenges to increase retention of existing members.

“We got our first idea to push forward with our women’s committee from Canadian Boilermakers during a Boilermakers caucus at TWBN,” said L-549 member Kesheona Darden.

And that’s just a tiny example of TWBN’s influence as the event has grown year over year, annually shattering previous attendance records and drawing heavy-hitting keynote speakers and workshop presenters. What began in the 200o’s as a state-focused event hosted by the California construction building trades is now an international event and the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world.

The 2024 TWBN Conference, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, September 27-29, continued the trend, boasting attendance of over 5,200 tradeswomen and allies. Under the theme “Let the Good Jobs Roll,” featured speakers included U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Turner Construction Executive Blanca Diaz, LiUNA General President Brent Booker, a message from actress Kerry Washington and a live phone call from U.S. President Joe Biden.

“Unions built the middle class. When unions do well, all Americans do better,” Biden said. He went on to talk about the increase of construction jobs, infused by his administration’s infrastructure funding. He noted that his term saw 100,000 more women in construction, the lowest unemployment rate for women in 70 years, a narrowing of the gender pay gap and a nearly 50% increase in women in apprenticeship programs.

“I was raised from the time I can remember that a woman can do anything a man can do,” he said.

“Each and every one of you are living, breathing proof of our tremendous progress,” said Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, during the opening plenary session. NABTU organizes and hosts TWBN. “When I think about how far we’ve come and how the face of the industry has changed over the years, I’m proud to say that from apprentices to seasoned journey-level sisters to retirees, women in construction are no longer the exception, you are the expectation.”

Su stressed the power of women rising in the construction trades.

“When we lift up women, we lift up everyone,” she said. “You can be anything that you want to be. Superheroes are not just in comic books and movies. Looking out at all of you, I know superheroes are women.”

More than 100 Boilermaker women and allies attended the 2024 TWBN, tripling the union’s attendance from the prior year. Some, like Ross and Darden, were veterans of the event. Others, like Amanda Castille from Local 37 (New Orleans), were first timers.

“Outside of this, it’s lonesome sometimes being a woman Boilermaker,” Castille said. “It was amazing meeting people from all over, and it’s been a big opportunity to learn and expand. I’ve just been enjoying all the speakers and taking it all in. And it’s pretty cool getting to show of our Boilermaker pride. Not many even know about us!”

Boilermakers most definitely showed their spirit and made their name stand out during the banner parade through New Orleans’ central business district.  

In addition to the parade, an exhibit hall and plenary sessions, Boilermakers chose from an array of workshop breakout sessions, including: Building a Sisterhood (retention techniques), Changing Policies and Laws to Support Women, Childcare Challenges and Solutions, Financial Literacy, Fostering Respect on the Job, LGBTQ in the Workforce, Project Labor Agreements, Supporting the Fertility Life-Cycle, the Power of Pensions, Suicide Prevention in Construction, Women in Leadership, Leadership Structures, Wellness Tools, and Worksite safety.

Each trade also facilitated a private caucus session. International President Tim Simmons addressed the Boilermakers caucus with his vision for the union, and women shared best practices for recruiting more women to the trade and supporting one another.

“I wanted to come to this event, because I wanted to get inspiration from other women and get different ideas, hear their stories about how they made it through and how they’re influencing and encouraging other women,” said first-time TWBN Boilermaker attendee Latasha Stallworth from L0cal 693 (Pascagoula, Mississippi).
“I wanted to know how everyone was working different issues out.”

Her experience didn’t disappoint.

“It was really encouraging just seeing everyone encouraging each other, being positive and seeing women walking up the ranks and putting their best foot forward,” she said.

Stallworth’s key takeaway from the event: “Organize. There are a lot of people in the workforce who aren’t working up to their potential. People with experience need to reach out to them to pull them up. I had people show me, and I’m blessed and grateful for that. Unity in these unions is what makes us powerful.”

For a full recap of the 2024 Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, including video highlights and full speeches, visit www.nabtu.org/twbn

I’m looking forward to going back to my local and sharing what I’ve learned here today.
– Linda Tribble, L-D194

I think this atmosphere made everyone relax, be themselves, have a good time and enjoy being a woman in the trades. Definitely come [to TWBN, it’s going to expose you to a lot of things to get you motivated and help you with the tools you need. We need to be able to educate one another on what’s going on across the country. – Latasha Stallworth, L-693

It’s awesome. I got to meet a lot of other women in the trades and other locals. I’ll take away a lot of information I gathered at this conference to help build better relationships within the workforce for women locally and abroad. – Sue Otto, L-696

It’s the motivation of everything. The resources. Seeing the women on stage and hearing them speak and their stories and where they came from and what they’ve become. It gives you hope. – Rennae Ross, L-549

It was amazing meeting people from all over, and it’s been a big opportunity to learn and expand. – Amanda Castille, L-37

I learn something each time. It’s important to get women committee members to come out here, because you learn things you can bring back to your local. - Monette Brownlee, Local 146

They touched on a lot of good topics here, and it’s mostly about your rights in the workplace and knowing your place in a union and what you can do to make your union stronger for women in the workplace so they’re not scared to voice their opinion.– Bridget Silversmith, Local 101

My favorite thing was sitting in the caucus with Boilermaker sisters, coming together with different ideas.

– Kesheona Darden, L-549

I think it’s ignited another fire for me in order to know what direction to go down next for recruiting, retention and other things we need to focus on.

– Kayla Vander Molen, L-146