“This conference grows exponentially every year, and the impact is phenomenal,” said Sean McGarvey, president, NABTU. “NABTU is committed to empowering current and future tradeswomen as we increase opportunities for and retention rates of women in fulfilling union trade careers. Every day, we recruit more women into great union construction apprenticeships and careers, and these trailblazing tradeswomen are moving up in the top ranks of leadership. This conference is a celebration of these trailblazers and a testament to the growth of tradeswomen among our ranks.”  

Jessica Looman, executive director, Minnesota Building Trades Council, and Jenny Winkelaar, director, Minneapolis Building Trades Council, kicked off the first plenary with inspiring stories about their career paths, the growth of Minnesota women in the trades, and the progress of their Women Building Success program. Winkelaar surprised the crowd with a video of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, whose speech roused the standing-room-only crowd when she told them, “Women who build are here to stay.”

The plenaries included additional insightful, and inspiring speeches by McGarvey; Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurse, AFL-CIO; Joseph Sellers, SMART union International; Stephanie Whalen, president, Union Labor Life Insurance; Vicki O’Leary, chairwoman, NABTU Tradeswomen Committee; Erica Stewart, international officer, Boilermakers Union; and Laura Ceja, UA Union International Recruitment Officer.

On Saturday afternoon, participants took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis for a parade and rally. The conference concluded on Sunday with a keynote speech by Mark McManus, international president, UA Union, and a panel on pathways to apprenticeship led by Arlene Dunn, director, Canada’s Building Trades Unions. For more information, www.nabtu.org.