North America’s Building Trade Unions (NABTU) and Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) will bring together more than 1,500 tradeswomen representing multiple crafts in the building and construction industries to the Women Build Nations (WBN) conference in Chicago to address timely issues, learn and network.
The Iron Workers (IW), which introduced a groundbreaking paid maternity leave benefit with 6 months of pre-pregnancy and 6 weeks of post-pregnancy maternity leave benefit to ironworker women last year will be among many organizations represented at the conference. Many of the tradeswomen including ironworkers attending the conference worked on the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place where the event will be held. Many of them also worked on the Marriott Marquis Chicago and the DePaul Stadium located within a few blocks of the WBN conference venue. The DePaul Stadium’s opening ceremony will coincide with the conference.
Women Build Nations conference is for women of all ages and all skill levels who work, or aspire to work, in the construction trades. Whether they are on the pre-apprentice level or seasoned journeypersons, it provides a unique opportunity to learn from and connect with tradeswomen from around the country and the world. It speaks to the needs of tradeswomen and unique challenges they face, offering over 35 workshops and plenary sessions. The workshops and plenary sessions will be facilitated by tradeswomen and feature union leaders, apprenticeship coordinators, contractors and elected officials. They will cover topics such as recruitment and retention, leadership development, policy and politics and issues beyond the tools.