UNIONS SEEK WOMEN APPRENTICES

Direct from Washington, D.C.: The construction trades must recruit and train women in apprenticeship programs. Unions recruit once or twice a year for Apprentices. Now is the time to seek information. and have your name placed on recruiting lists. An Apprentice learns a skilled trade through training on the job and learning the related technical knowledge in a classroom. The length of training varies from two to six years, during which the Apprentice is paid and receives raises every six months. At the end of training, the Apprentice becomes a full Journeyperson earning very good money using a salable skill.

To qualify, a woman needs a high school diploma or GED, preferably with a background in mathematics, science, and shop courses. The trades are looking for mental alertness, good physical health, initiative, ambition, and perseverance. Perseverance, no doubt, is the key. Age limits and other qualifications vary, depending on the specific trade. To apply, a woman must take an aptitude test and be interviewed before she can sign a written contract with a union and/or employer.

To introduce women to construction trades, the Construction Industry Trades Services and the YWCA are planning a Women and Construction Orientation Program for January 1979. The purpose of this program is to identify women interested in construction careers; however, the woman still applies for a specific apprenticeship program on her own. Another special program now in the proposal stage is a six to eight-week Preparation Training Program which will cover physical and mental conditioning, handling tools, safety rules, and an introduction to various construction trades.

sidewalks, highways, foundations, walls or build-

For further information, contact Chuck Dorner of the Construction Industry Trades Services at 522-1272, or Jim Selnick, Apprenticeship Coordinator of the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, at 579-7858.

The following list gives brief descriptions of the various building and construction trades in the Cleveland area:

BRICKLAYERS: Construct walls, partitions, fireplaces, chimneys, and many other structures from materials such as brick, cement blocks, structural tile, glass, gypsum, terra cotta block, stone, glazed tile, and pre-cast concrete.

CARPENTERS: Build forms for concrete foundations, erect scaffolds or platforms, construct framework for all parts of a building or house, lay floors and roofs, hang doors, and install exterior and interior trim. Also, included with Carpenters are Cabinet Makers, who construct and repair wooden articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, and high grade furniture; Floor Layers, who apply blocks, strips, or sheets of decorative covering to floors, walls, and cabinets; and Millwrights, who fabricate, shape, and install a variety of wood, lumber and plastic products, such as cabinets, store fixtures, countertops, sashes, and frames, using hand tools and wood working machines.

CEMENT MASONS: Finish cement on many

Too Few Women in Construction

"Rosie the Riveter" may well be the only woman construction worker most people know, and for a good reason. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that women constitute only 1.2 percent of the available construction workforce, or about 30,000 of the almost 3 million skilled construction workers, based on the 1970 census.

Recruitment and apprenticeship programs пow available to women are due in part to a suit filed against the Department of Labor by the League of

Martha Taber/LNS

Women Voters in 1976 to compel the establishment of nationwide hiring goals.

on

The Labor Department proposed regulations to assure employment opportunity for women federal and federally assisted construction projects in October, 1977. The adopted regulations were

intended to reinforce equal employment opportunity and affirmative action under the 1965 Executive Order 11246, which bars federal contractors and subcontractors from employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin..

The regulations require companies with federal contracts of $10,000 or more to meet specific goals for hiring women in all construction crafts. Women must constitute 3.1 percent of a project's workforce by 1979, 5 percent by 1980, and 6.9 percent by 1981. Companies and trade unions that operate federally registered apprenticeship programs must enroll women at a rate equal to half their percentage of the general workforce in any area, about 20 percent for 1978. In 1974 only 0.2 percent of construction apprentices were women..

Contractors must meet these minimum specifications to fulfill affirmative action obligations:

1. Ensure and maintain a working environment free of harassment, intimidation, and coercion at all sites and facilities which the contractor's employees are assigned to work;

Establish and maintain a current list of minority and female recruitment sources;

3. Develop on-the-job training opportunities or participate in training programs for the area which expressly include minorities and women; and

4. Direct recruitment efforts to minority, female, and community organizations.

as one woman

Women construction workers face many prob. lems, not the least of which is suspicion and ridicule from male co-workers. But construction worker put it, "Men think they have a corner on skills, but it's all practice and logic. Sure I feel a little apprehensive about going out on the job. But I have the right to earn a living too.'

71

Marycatherine Krause Information from Monthly Labor Review, Wall Street Journal

types of construction projects, such as patios, floors, ings, and airport runways.

ELECTRICIANS: Lay out, assemble, install and test electrical fixtures, apparatus, and wiring used in electrical systems:

IRON WORKERS: Raise, place, and unite steel girders and columns in the construction of industrial, commercial, and large residential buildings.

PAINTERS: Prepare surfaces of buildings and other structures for paint; also, paint or cover walls with paper, fabrics, vinyls or other materials.

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Martha Tabor/LNS

PIPEFITTERS: Install pipe systems that carry hot water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases needed for industrial production or other uses. A type of Pipefitter is the Sprinkler Fitter who installs overhead piping systems, both exposed and concealed, for the purpose of fire protection in buildings.

PLUMBERS: Install water line systems to kitchens and bathrooms in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

ROOFERS: Cover roofs with materials other than sheet metal, such as composition shingles or sheets, wood shingles, or asphalt or gravel to make the roof waterproof.

SHEET METAL WORKERS: Fabricate and install ducts used in ventilating, air conditioning. and heating systems; also, fabricate and install other products, such as metal desks, paint ovens and spray booths, eavestroughs, and dust collecting systems.

OPERATING ENGINEERS: Run, maintain, and repair large earth movers, bulldozers and other heavy equipment used in construction projects.

-Paula A. Copestick

Page R/What She Wants/December, 1978