IBEW Takes Chicago By Storm in Show of Tradeswomen Solidarity

By Jeremy Kehoe

There was a decidedly different drumbeat of footsteps echoing across the streets of Chicago recently – one of hope and pride powered by thousands of tradeswomen marching lockstep in shared celebration of victories realized and barriers overcome and a collective determination to achieve goals yet unmet.

Almost 6,000 tradeswomen, advocates, and industry leaders took to the streets to flex their collective strength, then collaborated in conference rooms over the ensuing two days to plot a course to grow their ranks at the 15th Annual North America’s Building Trades Union Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) conference, the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world, last month.

IBEW represented more than 800 strong – its largest contingent in TWBN history – including 26 members from Local 11 (another record) who immediately embraced the union ethos of empowerment, solidarity, and inclusivity and got right to work assembling swag bags for fellow attendees.

This year’s conference was especially poignant for 30-year Local 11 member Diana Limon, Local 11’s 9th District Representative for the IBEW Women’s Committee (IWC) and Local 11’s Director of Women Recruitment & Support.

Limon, the first female to receive Local 11’s Outstanding Apprentice Award in 2000, attended the first TWBN in 2002, and said this year’s conference was an inspiring blend of experience and idealism that fueled an exchange of ideas that manifested into real-world action plans members could take back to their locals to implement and affect measurable results.

“It was exhilarating to witness and partake in the massive progress of tradeswomen empowerment that has developed since I attended my first Tradeswomen Build California in 2002, which grew into the Tradeswomen Build Nations as we know it today,” said Limon, who co-led a conference panel, “Building Strong Voices: Communications & Leadership & Influence for Women in Construction.” “Tradeswomen left this year’s conference invigorated, motivated, and energized to become more involved in their union and committed and eager to learn more.”

Among the Local 11 members feeding into and off of that TWBN energy were Leah Luna and Savonnah Branch.

“After seeing so many different women from so many different walks of life at the conference, I felt really encouraged and motivated and inspired and it made me feel, “Wow, I can really do this,’” said Luna, a third-year Sound & Communications apprentice. “When I came back home I felt like I wanted to give as much support as I felt like I was given. It makes me want to give more support to the union and become more involved and want to make people feel like this. I’m really grateful to be part of Local 11 and have so much support.”

Also joining the ranks of this year’s 26-member TWBN crew was Local 11 Business Manager Robert Corona, who has prioritized diversifying the membership and actively recruiting more female apprentices and journey-level workers – not just to grow the Local’s numbers but also infuse new talent, strength, and innovation into its leadership ranks. 

Limon credited Corona’s leadership and commitment for the Local’s success in continuing to recruit, train, and retain more female members.

“Business Manager Robert Corona is 100-percent supportive of both bringing in more women into the trade and supporting the women that we have,” Limon said. “The more women we see applying (for IBEW membership), the more we’re going to see women being accepted, and the more we’ll see our numbers increase. Without a doubt, that’s already happening.”

EMPOWER, Solidarity, VEEP

Local 11 has steadily built a robust network of internal programs to not only recruit and train new female members but, as importantly, urge them to become more active members as well as pay-it-forward advocates for other women considering becoming Local 11 Sisters.

“Ultimately, the investment of sending people to events like TWBN is to create members who become active, because there is plenty to do, whether that’s volunteering, become more politically active, or speaking out wherever it is we need greater visibility,” Limon said. “That’s what we’re looking to do – create activists.”

One Local 11 program that has flourished in the last two years is EMPOWER (ETI Mentorship Program Offering Women Extra Resources), which is run by the ETI and whose mission is to recruit, retain, and support female apprentices and journey-level workers.

Led by 18-year IBEW 11 member Anthy Hadjimarkos, EMPOWER members meet monthly to connect, share experiences, learn about the industry, gain knowledge from experienced professionals, and find mentorship opportunities.

These meetings provide women with real-world, hands-on tools and advice they can apply immediately to achieve that elusive balance between advancing their careers and taking care of themselves.

Topics range from managing health benefits, balancing school and work, creating business presentations, and securing childcare to finance and budgeting, fitness and stretching, leadership development, women business ownership, mock interviews, mental health, and self-care.

Another Local 11 program that has grown exponentially is the recently chartered Solidarity Committee, a hierarchy-free group dedicated to elevating the moral, intellectual and social conditions by emancipating all people from gender-based inequity in the electrical industry, and beyond.

Adding to the momentum is the launch this month of Local 11’s first-ever All-Women’s Veteran Electrical Entry Program (VEEP) Pre-Apprenticeship class. Twenty-two new recruits, female veterans looking for a career after their military service, have signed up for these classes, which offer direct entry into apprenticeship for veterans who have successfully completed the Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

In addition to these IBEW 11-driven programs, the Local has forged alliances with national organizations including the National Association of Women in Construction, Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), coordinated pre-apprenticeships with the Los Angeles and Orange County building and construction trades, and partnered with employers and awarding agencies to make sure women are represented on the job.

Looking Forward

Limon knows how far Local 11 has come – and how far it still has to go – to educate women about the opportunities union membership offers, overcome the stubborn stereotypes women still face, and secure more representation at the executive level.

“One of the things that women tell me is the difference that they see in comparison to all of the other trades is how much support the women have here, and I agree with that,” Limon said. “I don’t know that there’s any local, especially in the LA area, that has the type of programs that we have in place for women, like the number of women on staff, women in the apprenticeship program, a mentoring program, and a women’s committee. That’s, quite frankly, pretty unheard of.”

Limon acknowledged that empowering women to overcome barriers so they can thrive in male-dominated careers is a journey, not a sprint.

“Working with women to get them into the IBEW is very intentional work,” Limon said. “It’s a constant process of checking in with them, following up with them, walking them through the process. I think women can sometimes talk themselves out of going through that process, but the recent momentum has been huge.” 

This year’s TWBN theme was “She’s not waiting. She’s leading.” That slogan not only set the tone for the conference but served as a message attendees can take back to their locals.

“When I asked the women of the IBEW Caucus to raise their hands if they had a women’s committee, I was happily surprised to see the majority of the room raise their hands,” Limon said. “I would argue that IBEW women that attended TWBN are more likely to become activists in their local unions and actively participate in forming women’s committees for ongoing support and growth.”

On Dec. 6 IBEW will host what is expected to be the largest gathering of Local 11 women at the 2nd Annual IBEW Local 11 Women’s Luncheon.