Our Vision: We elevate tradeswomen: women as equal and construction trades as honorable work. Our Mission: Build the North American representation in the global network of tradeswomen advocating for themselves.
Provide new evidence on the use of social procurement by public authorities to advance equality in employment.
Compare the use and impact of social procurement in England, Wales, and Scotland.
Produce guidance on increasing employment equality through social procurement in construction and beyond.
Extend the scope of research on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to include social procurement as a potential lever for change.
Check out this user-friendly and informative toolkit, focusing on strengthening social justice through procurement activities in the public sector. It can also be found under the TBB ‘Research and Reports’ tab here: TBB ‘Research and Reports’
Next year, TBB will be traveling to exchange learnings with our counterparts in the Philippines. This delegation will specifically focus on community organizing. We are in the early stages of planning and will be hosting an initial info session early 2024. If you would like to hear more, please complete the Interest Form and we will be in touch with the details.
The Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) conference is an annual event put on by North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU), and it is the largest gathering of tradeswomen in the world.
This year, over 3,000 union tradeswomen and allies descended upon our nation’s capital, Washington DC, to learn, share and support each other in the movement.
Included in the 3,000+ attendees were two women from Denmark, a carpenter/woodworker, and a team member of the Danish Association for Responsible Construction. They jumped into the networking events and took advantage of connecting with a geographically diverse group of women from a wide variety of trades.
At this year, we were able to distribute information about TBB’s 2024 delegation to the Philippines (currently being planned), as well as speak about our organization in a ‘Sisters in Solidarity’ workshop. This 2-hour workshop for 100+ attendee, focused on building solidarity through practical examples of how to recruit, retain and support fellow women working in the trades.
More than anything, TWBN is an opportunity to recharge and connect with sisters from across North America!
Thank you to those that participated in this months International Tradeswomen Call!
We had over 20 tradeswomen and advocates present, representing 5 different countries. We look forward to more enriching discussions on our next call in February 2024 – look for your invitation early next year.
If you would like to view the recording of the discussion email: tradeswomenbb@gmail.com with RECORDING in the subject line.
We are excited to announce that INTERNATIONAL CALLS ARE BACK!
This space is for all involved in the Global Tradeswomen Movement to gather and share. We are excited to hear what is going on in your regions and how we can learn from the work you are doing.
Tradeswomen Build Nations, North America’s largest conference of tradeswomen, will be held in Washington D.C. this year. In December of 2023 over 3,000 tradeswomen working with hands-on tools, and representing 15 of the largest international building trades unions will descend upon this nation’s capital.
In addition to networking with trade sisters from various regions, we will hear from politicians, advocates, and leaders in the tradeswomen movement and partake in supportive workshops.
All international advocates are welcome to attend. Email tradeswomenbb@gmail.com for more information on the conference being hosted in North America.
The July issue of The Electrical Worker, a monthly publication by the IBEW, recognizes the work of TBB and our mission of building global tradeswomen solidarity. Our delegation to London consisted of many tradeswomen, including union electricians representing 3 regions of the United States (East Coast, West Coast, and Mid-West). While in London, we connected with Sam Jones, an electrician from the UK, and several UK tradeswomen from other crafts.
The full-page article highlights why forming these connections for each female electrician in London is crucial. Ranging from: not feeling alone even though you are the only female on the job site, dealing with macho culture and hostility, and helping to find your place in your union and the tradeswomen movement altogether.
International connections like the one we made in London continue to highlight that tradeswomen’s struggles are global and by building these relationships were are strengthen the voice of the tradeswomen movement in its entirety.
The Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) conference is a yearly event by North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and it is the largest gathering of tradeswomen in the world. TBB has a special relationship with this international conference. In the past, we’ve been able to bring key partners to the USA for the event, we’ve run workshops there, and it continues to be a meeting place for former delegates to reunite. This year, many of our members descended on Las Vegas Nevada for the event.
This year, we were able to distribute information about our organization at one of the tables in the main gathering area. Some of our leadership met with union leaders about creating women’s committees. We also met with other international partners about issues affecting our union sisters abroad and future delegations.
More than anything, it was an opportunity to recharge and connect with sisters from across North America. Guest speakers included Martin Walsh, Secretary, US DOL; Gina Raimondo, Secretary, US DOC; Wendy Chun-Hoon, Director, DOL Women Bureau; Sean Garvey, President, NABTU; Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO and many others.
A range of workshops offered at the conference from Women in Union Leadership to Be That One Guy (a workshop offering strategies against workplace harassment) inspired and energized our sisters! We are proud to continue supporting and participating in this conference.
On October 4th and 5th, Tradeswomen Building Bridges was honored with an invitation to participate in the 1st ever Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) Global Conference on Women in the Trades. Delayed by Covid-19 from its original scheduled date of June 2020, it was held in Madrid, Spain as part of 5th BWI World Congress.
More than 200 Women from 117 countries gathered. Despite participants speaking 13 different languages, we were able to share experiences, learn of the various global campaigns supporting women’s rights, and built global connections.
Key themes highlighted over the two days were:
* Women’s work being seen as equal in the workplace
*Women’s rights are human rights and a rising tide will lift ALL boats.
* Work/Life Balance: Moving beyond a model that is over 50 years old, to one that works for current lifestyles.
TBB members, Doreen Cannon and A. McCoy, represented North America in two separate panel discussions. Doreen shared her experiences as a Union Plumber, weaving in the value of the best practices that came out of our London delegation. With more than 25 years of experience as a tradeswoman, Doreen testified about the power and energy that gatherings of women leaders, like this one, brings about in our networks. Day One ended with the official opening of the Women’s Conference by Rita Schiavi, Chair of the BWI International Women Caucus. There was also an homage to our departed sister Jin Sook Lee, the Global Campaign Director of BWI. These two women were close friends of our organization since its inception.
The following day McCoy spoke on a panel about gender in contract negotiations. They shared TBB’s best practices for increasing the number of women in the trades. In addition to highlighting increased numbers of tradeswomen in Oregon and Massachusetts, McCoy also presented the history of TBB and our belief in building Tradeswomen Networks.
Day Two ended with the launch of the 5th BWI World Congress. Here we heard uplifting words from Per Oolf, President of BWI, Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director General of International Labor Organization (ILO) and Pedro Hojas, General Secretary of General Union of Workers of Spain (UGT FICA).
During these two days, we were able to connect with our friends from previous delegations. We were particularly excited to visit with Rajeev and Prerna, two BWI South Asia program officers who we met during our 2019 delegation. We also saw our sisters and brothers from Unite in the UK and our sisters from the BWI European Women’s Committee.
We also built new connections with our Australian sisters and strengthened our connection with our friends in the Philippines.
On June 18th, the TBB delegates attended their second demonstration, this time alongside tens of thousands of UK workers. The march and subsequent rally in Parliament Square, was organized by the Trades Union Congress, a federation of trades unions akin to the USA’s AFL-CIO. The protest was held a few days before a mass strike of 50,000 railroad workers.
I am proud to be one of the workers to attend the march and rally. I didn’t realize before participating in our TBB conference how radical it is to be union in the UK, all the more so as union construction tradeswomxn. Hearing the voices and seeing the banners of so many workers from across the UK confirmed for me that we have much more in common with other workers than all the divisions of gender, race, faith that those in power try to wedge between us. [TBB Delegate Soph Davenberry]
The demands were simple. Marchers were fighting for a real pay rise for every worker (one that exceeds inflation) and a living wage for all. They wanted respect and security for all workers, an end to racism at work, a boost to union bargaining rights, an increase for those on universal credit (similar to our USA low income and unemployment schemes), and a tax on energy profits.
“The union rally was an interesting experience. I liked seeing communities come together to tackle the cost of living and housing crisis. Seems like a worldwide issue after the pandemic.”- [TBB Delegate Barbara James]
No matter where you go, workers are struggling against the same forces. It was an honor to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from across the pond.
Tradeswomen Building Bridges: the North American Network of Women Working in the Construction Trades 