Tradeswomen Building Bridges: the North American Network of Women Working in the Construction Trades

College of North East London (CONEL)

Some of our delegates had an opportunity to visit CONEL which is the first completely free trades college in England. They offer training and apprenticeships in many manual trades and they offer several construction trades classes for woman only.

We toured their campus and heard from Glen Lambert on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the trades. We also connected them with communities where they could utilize the supply of labor they are creating.

West London College (WLC)

The other delegates visited WLC. We were happy to see bulletin board where they recognize all the success stories of their apprentices and post pictures with write ups.

We found  knowledgeable and supportive teachers, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. The apprentices were eager to talk with us about their experiences on the job and in the classroom.

You can see their write up of our visit here

Parliment Reception

Our day ended with a networking event in the Houses of Parliament. We received a special tour of the Palace of Westminster, and then we attended a reception on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Tradeswomen Building Bridges, and the University of Westminster. It was hosted by member of Parliament, Emily Thornberry. We used the event as an opportunity to exchange views and ideas with members of Parliament, peers, and business leaders on how to attract and retain women into construction.

Our London delegates have toured job sites all over the city over the past few days. We wanted to take time to highlight some of them. Thank you to the contractors and union partners for supporting our mission of elevating women in the construction trades.

Our objectives for these site visits were to visit, tour, and receive an overview of working arrangements; meet with women construction workers; meet with company representatives to discuss challenges in recruiting women into construction; hear about company initiatives to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion; and to have discussions around gender equality and climate change in construction.

Battersea Power Station No. 1

At its peak, the Battersea Power Station was supplying a fifth of Londons electricity. It is being redeveloped and will open to the public in September 2022. It will become one of Londons largest office, retail, leisure and cultural centers for about 25,000 people.

We met with Declan Murphy, a carpenter and union activist who represents Batersea trades workers in grievance and disciplinary hearings, and monitors safety on the site. It was an informative and exciting tour.

Mace Dragados/ HS2 Euston

HS2 is a new high-speed railway linking up London, the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland, serving over 25 stations, including eight of Britains 10 largest cities and connecting around 30 million people. Around 3000 people will be working on the site at the height of its construction.

We looked at three different areas of their massive 10 year transportation infastructure project. They have already set up a womens network for those working in all areas of the project from trades workers up to management. Our delegates were impressed to see an innovative and progressive hard hat sticker system. The stickers meant you took an LGBTQ ally training, there is a sticker delineating you are a FIR (Fairness Inclusion and Respect) Ambassador, and mental health first aider and mental health ally.

Lendlease/Bishopgate

This is a 52 story office building in the center of London. We had the pleasure of hearing what it’s really been like to work at Bishopsgate from Maddie, a current student and Assistant Construction Manager for the site; Emma, a Construction Management Engineer and leader for the project; Beth, a Commercial Manager and Second-Year Grad Student; and Callen, an electrical contractor with TClarke and former apprentice. We shared similar experiences being a strong women in a mostly male dominated field.

Canary Wharf

Canary wharf is a huge complex with various buildings at different stages of completion from piling and ground work for new construction. Fit-outs of new hotel shell and core offices and final fit-out of residential and retail outlets.

This is a union project and our group met with Trevor Simpson from Unite the Union. He is a long standing unite activist and experienced convenor. He also represents the construction sector on Unites Executive Council.

Our delegates met with union sisters from various sites across London who are working to start their own womens committee for construction workers.

Skanska/ Blosom Street Development

Skanksa led us in a tour of their Blossom street development. The space is intended for new offices and retail. We saw how they are blending new and old by refurbishing some space while building a more modern structure. We spoke with construction manager Sophie Baker and engineer Leonora Pilakoutas who led our tour. They spoke about seeing a change in construction recently as more women join the trades. We met a woman who works as a roofer alongside her father and brother.

We also met Terry, a representative of the London Building Workers Branch. His role is to provide support on site for construction workers. Lastly, we had a Q and A session with Graham Mercer, the project director for the development. He spoke very highly about Skanska for being an inclusive work environment and noted our ideas about how to implement more strategies to retain more women workers.

Written by TBB delegate Soph R Davenberry of Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, Local Union 66

On June 14th, 2022, TBB Delegates attended the Grenfell Tower Memorial March in West London, on the 5^th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people in the immediate event with many afterwards from subsequent trauma.

A group of about 20 delegates proceeded to West London after the Research Forum to participate in the march on the 5^th anniversary of this terrible disaster which could have been prevented. The delegates got separated en route to the march, marching about 5 min apart among thousands of people, in silence, for a few miles through the borough with the course ending at the Grenfell Tower site. The Memorial Commission, led by family members of the dead, organizes two such marches a year on Jun. 14^th and Dec. 14^th. For this occasion, the barriers surrounding the site were lowered allowing marchers to view the memorials placed at a plywood barricade at the base of the tower. Video screens, speakers, and a drone camera had been arranged to accommodate the large crowd gathered to hear numerous speakers, from members of the commission to leading sports figures from the borough, with a distinct call for accountability for the shortfalls in the construction industry which led to the disaster.

The entire experience was truly powerful. I was in the group that had fallen behind the other group and we weren’t entirely sure where we were going, but from the tube train I could see the march as we passed overhead so we hopped off to join in. The silence was remarkable, that residents in the neighborhoods might not even know such a large group was going by. Marchers were wearing green, which I happened to be wearing also. Especially stirring was a group of firefighters (members of the fire brigade UK term) lined both sides of the street under a bridge. We caught up to the first group in time to be together for the shared words. The names of all who died we read, interspersed with the gathering citing honor to them.

I have studied this fire because it relates directly to my industry—the fire started from a small combination fridge-freezer unit which members of my trade service. The Aluminum Composite Materials (ACM) panels are manufactured and installed by sheet metal workers. The fans and dampers for smoke control are manufactured, installed, and maintained by members of my trade. I have experience doing all of these things. One of the most significant things about a union tradesworker is that when we have the solidarity of each other, we also have the power to speak up when things are wrong, whether that’s wages, working conditions, and especially safety. The specific individuals and companies in the UK are most likely not unionized (although some counterparts in the U.S. and Canada are). And I wonder at what points having a skilled, trained, properly compensated and respected workforce could have made a difference. That’s all part of the mission of this conference for me.

On June 14th, the delegates were hosted at Tideway’s office for some presentations. The first being from CEO Andy Mitchell on workplace culture change and gender diversity. Then we heard from Women into Construction on the work that they do recruiting women into the construction industry. Two of our delegates shared about their passion for their trades, their unions, and TBBs mission. Our goal was to show that women of all walks of life are passionate and successful craft workers.

There were also panel discussions, discussing topics such as gender parity on site, building skills and education, and sustainability. There was also a networking portion after the presentations.We met some women working on the Thames Tideway Tunnel, as well as some veteran tradeswomen from the UK. The event was attended by TBB delegates, Women Into Construction students and graduates, veteran tradeswomen, and women in construction management.

The delegates spent the next portion of the day at a research forum hosted by the University of Westminster. The purpose of the event was to share cutting edge research with the Delegation’s tradeswomen members, UK and European based academics, trade unionists, and practitioners.

The Forum focused on three current structural challenges deeply affecting women working within the construction industry. Strategies for increasing women’s access to the trades; female empowerment and leadership, and their impact on working and living conditions; women, climate literacy, and zero carbon construction.

Panelists included researchers, trade unionists and practitioners from Canada, the United States, South Africa, across Europe, and the UK. Three of our delegates shared about impacts that they have had on their local areas.

Our delegates partnered with the Islington Council to tour three different sites. The first was their Joinery Workshop where we met two women working with the council in carpentry. One has completed her apprenticeship and one is a 1st year apprentice. It was interesting to learn how their apprenticeship works and share our systems of apprenticeship from back home.

The second site tour was at K&M Decorating, a local contractor who set up their own training center for apprentices. We toured the facility, then had a round table discussion with program graduates, tradeswomen and women who work on the business side at K &M.

The third site visit was at the Kings Cross construction Sills Training Centre run by North-West London College. We toured their training facility and learned about their partnership with the borough of Islington and the developer responsible for the major Kings Cross redevelopment project.

Delegates also walked toured the new construction and learned about the history of the area and the massive redevelopment project that is taking place.

The day concluded with a reception at the Islington Town Hall where we heard from elected officials, TBB Delegates and UK tradeswomen.

The Tradeswomen Building Bridges Community Picnic at Caledonian Park on June 12th was a massive success. Residents of Islington came out to meet us, ask questions, and listen to our stories about being women in the construction trades.

Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury, and Labour’s Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry, Islington Mayor Marian Spall, Deputy Council Leader Diarmaid Ward, Councilor Jason Jackson, Councilor Hannah McHugh, and Councilor Saiqa Pandora spoke at the event about the importance of women in construction and the opportunities that the Holloway Prison Project represent for the community.

The Colleges of West, North-West and North-East London (CNWL, CWL, and CONEL were present to offer information on apprenticeships that they offer.

We heard from community activists Nikki Gibbs and Sophie Benedict on the importance of creating a womens building to house social services on the Holloway site.

We also heard from tradeswomen Bim Balogun Springer, Nikeia Hunter, Marie Havsgaard, and Doreen Cannon on their career journeys as tradeswomen.

It was fitting that this day of community advocacy took place at the site of a 40,000 gathering of trade unionists who came together to show support for the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were sent to Australia for forming a trade union. We came to London as proud trade unionists looking to spread the sentiment of solidarity and inclusion.

On June 11th 2022, Tradeswomen Building Bridges delegates had an extraordinary day in the London Borough of Islington. We split into three groups for two different Heritage Walks and a curated tour of Holloway Prison.

The heritage walks were led by Islington Councilors Diarmaid Ward and David Poyser, who gave a detailed background of social housing in Islington, as shaped by and influence to architecture for over two hundred years.

Each group had the sobering and deeply moving opportunity to be the last members of the public allowed to tour the Holloway Prison prior to its demolition. The prison has a long history of housing suffragettes, environmental activists, and advocates for nuclear disarmament. In recent years, it became an important source of health and human services for women who had slipped through the cracks in society. In 2016 the prison was closed and the land was slated to be used for housing.

Tradeswomen Building Bridges partnered with Reclaim Holloway, a Coalition fighting for the Holloway site to be used for collective good, for this delegation. The group is particularly interested in the establishment of a women’s building to honor Holloways legacy. Another partner, community Plan for Holloway, is an independent campaign working to ensure that the Islington community is at the heart any plans for the redevelopment of Holloway prison. TBB believes it is important that women are involved in the planning, as well as the physical building of this new development.

The entire TBB Delegation reconvened for midday refreshments and review of social justice, art, and cultural works from Reclaim Holloway and Community Plan for Holloway (CP4H) at St. Luke’s Church, culminating at 4pm with a presentation from Caitlin Davies, author of Bad Girls: a history of rebels and renegades, about those women incarcerated in the Prison over a 150-year period.

As tradeswomen from Alaska to Norway and beyond, we are steadfast with the community leaders to assure follow-though for 60% affordable housing on the site, including 42% social housing so that a minimum 415 of new 985 housing units are inhabited by the populations who need housing in the borough. Furthermore, we emphasize the stark need for a Women’s Building to fulfill the needs of the community, and that these infrastructures provide opportunity for the work on the site to be performed by women in the trades. The transformative healing of this work, built by women, of women, and for women is essential to the purpose of our mission.

Today we kicked off the community organizing aspect of our Tradeswomen Delegation. We welcomed delegates from across the USA, Canada, and Norway with a reception hosted by the University of Westminster. This is the beginning of 10 days of programming to support women in every way working in the construction field. University of Westminster Vice Chancellor, Dr. Peter Bonfield gave opening remarks. He welcomed the whole delegation on behalf of the University, the industry, women’s organizations and London. He spoke about the Universities goal to become a movement for change, and to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to live their dreams.

We then heard remarks from Co-founder/ Painter Kathleen Santora and delegate/laborer Jenaya Nelson about the upcoming delegation and the work TBB does. Then the mic was opened for delegates to introduce themselves, their backgrounds and their work. We ended by introducing our Norweigan delegates, co-founders of a new Norwegian network of women in construction trades called Ingeborg-Nettverk, named after the first female plumber in Norway.

It was an outstanding start to what is sure to be an exciting 10 days of learning, networking, and leadership development.

On June 9th, Tradeswomen Building Bridges kicked off our London delegation with a Best Practices workshop hosted by the University of Westminster. We presented four case studies of successful regional strategies in Canada and the United States where the percent of women in the trades is now equal to or greater than 10%. The four programs shared 5 critical strategies which we have named the “game changers”. This event was intended to share strategies and success with UK construction industry stakeholders and give them an opportunity for discussion and reflection on what might be useful for improving gender diversity in their area of work. The event was livestreamed on facebook live and is available here.

First, we heard from Karen Dove, Executive Director of ANEW in Seattle Washington and Denise Nicole Franklin, the Director of Justice, Equity and Inclusion from ANEW. They shared how policy and collaboration is changing the face of construction in Seattle Washington.

Next, we heard from Maggie Budden, a Red Seal Iron Worker and a project coordinator for Canadas Office to Advance Women apprentices. She shared a Canadian model for inclusion and retention of women in the construction trades.

Mary Vogel (Executive Director) and Amy Courtney (Pipeline Navigator) from Building Pathways in Boston shared about their work creating visibility of tradeswomen as a way to encourage more women to enroll in training programs. They identified three main pipelines for bringing women in and retaining them once they get there.

The last case study was about how government and women’s organizations can advance successful construction careers for diverse workers. We heard a presentation from Tiffany Thompson, the director of Workforce Equity and Technical Assistance for Oregon Tradeswomen in Portland Oregan and Rahi Reddy, the Director of Equity and Inclusion for the Metro Regional Government in Portland about how they created a successful partnership that created opportunities for women to enter the trades in their area. We also heard from Nikea Hunter, the Culture Change Liaison from Oregon Tradeswomen, she shared her experience as a carpenter and how she is working to change the culture today.

There were responses to each presentation by members of the UK construction industry and we ended the day with a large group dialogue to focus on what is useful and what can be brought back to the various places of work that were represented in the audience.

We are extremely grateful to our European and American partners who came together to make this day of learning a success. The resources from the presentation can be found here Special thanks to our research director Dr. Susan Moir for her decades of work culminating in these best practices for use around the world.