Tradeswomen Building Bridges Delegation collaborating with Tradeswomen Union Activists and other organizations to build international Tradeswomen solidarity
From November 10 – 22, 2024, TBB brought a delegation of 12 tradeswomen on a learning exchange to the Philippines. Tradeswomen in the Philippines encounter many of the same barriers as North American Tradeswomen. We partnered with the Philippine Association of Women Workers in the Construction industry (AWWCI), a grassroots tradeswomen organization composed of skilled women trades workers, to organize this event. AWWCI develops skills training and recognizes women’s participation in the field of construction through social protection, social justice, equality and gender perspective. They promote and defend workers’ rights, especially the rights to self-organization and collective bargaining.
In some areas of North America and the Philippines, tradeswomen activism is having a positive effect. We sought to learn best practices for advocacy from our Fillipina sisters, in order to create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive global network. We also wanted to galvanize support for greater inclusion of women in the construction sector worldwide, express solidarity with women through providing skills training and learning best practices for community organizing from our Filipino sisters.
We spent our time in Manila meeting craft workers, union leaders, academics, and community advocates. Our goal is to build transnational solidarity among union trades workers, to learn about the lives and working conditions of construction workers globally; to share best practices for women gaining access to careers in the trades and continue growing the global network of union tradeswomen.
During the first week, we presented a skills training workshop for women in the Philippines who were interested in learning plumbing and carpentry. Participants left their families at home and some travelled great distances to attend. As of 2022, 34.5% of Filipino women were actively engaged in the labor market compared to 54.8% of men. On average, women earn 18.3% less than men. By supporting our tradesisters in the Philippines as they increase their carpentry and plumbing skills, it gives them an opportunity to increase their economic stability through craft construction and services offered.
The 2nd week focused on the grassroots organizing part of the learning exchange. AWWCI led the TBB delegates through a community organizing training workshop, allowing for time to work through how to apply this to unions and community organizations in our home areas. Throughout the delegation, we learned about the Filipino construction industry with presentations from local university researchers, politicians, and community activists. This helped build relationships needed for the two-way dialogue necessary for improving the lives of women construction workers around the globe.
The delegation included 11 tradeswomen from North America and 1 tradeswomen advocate from South Korea. One of the founding members and researcher, Cassandra Klewicki shares, ” In spite of organizational and policy interventions around the world, women in the trades consistently find themselves fighting for their rightful place in a dangerous and under-respected industry. This delegation is a chance for tradeswomen to collaborate and strategize, while developing the leadership and organizing skills necessary to advocate for themselves within their unions, and the construction industry as a whole. We believe that our voices should be heard in any area where decisions are being made about us, and our newfound network will help support us as we take on these challenges. The connections we build on these trips are deep and long lasting, and when we lift each other up, we become energized as we pursue goals we once thought were impossible.”
Tradeswomen Building Bridges: the North American Network of Women Working in the Construction Trades 