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Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Philadelphia Chapter |
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Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Philadelphia Chapter |
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Dear Readers: Below is the testimony delivered by Kathy Riordan, AFGE Local 644 and CLUW Executive Board Member, regarding the representation of women in the construction trades. This testimony was developed by our Nontraditional Work for Women Committee as a follow-up to our forum on women in non-traditional jobs held in January in conjunction with our benefit for Women Against Abuse. Send any comments or questions to us at kblack@dc47.org. If you are interested in working on this issue with our committee we'd love to hear from you! Kathy Black, Pres. Philadelphia CLUW STATEMENT TO THE MAYOR’S COMMISSION ON CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT SUBMITTED BY THE PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER, COALITION OF LABOR UNION WOMEN Wednesday, JULY 23,2008 INTRODUCTION Greetings to Commissioner Singley and to all the Commissioners. I am Kathleen Riordan, a Board Member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). I am also a former Regional Administrator of the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor here in the federal Region 3 (1974-1981) and am a member of American Federation of Government Employees/Local #644. We of CLUW commend the City and this Commission for taking on this challenge. We recognize it is not an easy job. As active and loyal trade unionists, the Philadelphia chapter of CLUW wishes to weigh in on this issue that is of great importance to all concerned about our City’s future and also to offer our assistance to you. We have members who are active and past members of the building trades. We also have members who work at organizations that serve potential candidates for jobs, for apprenticeships, for pre-apprenticeship. We are committed to equal access for women and minorities to opportunities in all occupational fields. STATEMENT Few subjects continue to generate so much heat as serious discussions and plans on how to increase equity in the construction industry for minorities and women. This controversy is not new: Efforts in the 1960s and the 1970s to integrate the construction industry resulted in confrontations in many cities. Initially, federal compliance efforts to open the skilled building trades required recruitment and training programs geared to minority men interested in construction opportunities. As early as 1968, the Labor Department funded programs to provide recruitment services, information and other pre-apprenticeship training/support. By 1969, the Nixon Administration, through the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC), adopted the “Revised Philadelphia Plan” that became the ‘model’ for federally-funded construction contractors to meet their goals for minority employment in the construction trades. The Philadelphia Plan became the prototype for not only for federal construction contractors but for ALL federal contractors. In the late 1970s, with Ray Marshall as Secretary of Labor and Alexis Herman as Women’s Bureau Director, the Labor Department and other federal agencies, emphasized the importance of opening more blue collar opportunities for minority men and for women as well. By then, the WB’s programs and research were showing the correlation between “women’s wages” and “poverty” when women are relegated to a narrow range of jobs—mostly those designated as “women’s work”. There was an emphasis on opening non-traditional work to women—defined as occupations in which women’s participation was less than 25%. DOL funded pilot and demonstration programs with non-profit organizations, state and local governments, unions, contractor associations, and others. The WB worked with international unions and construction contractors and with women’s groups to develop curricula and materials, to examine issues of discrimination and harassment, to research appropriate training and equipment. Here in Philadelphia, we were able to fund a range of services—from information services to videos and materials (back then they were films!), to conferences on non-traditional jobs, to work with unions, school districts, and various state and local agencies that served youth and adult job-seekers. Women working in the trades formed their own support groups. Local CETA (Comprehensive Employment & Training Act) programs also funded education, technical assistance, and outreach/training programs. There was energy around the goal of improving job opportunities for minority men and of opening doors to women. There was some optimism. There was momentum for making these changes happen: · 1960s—Apprenticeship Information Centers opened; lawsuits were catalysts for change; pre-apprentice feeder programs such as the Labor Education Advancement Program operated in minority communities; · 1970s—YWCA’s New Jobs for Women, Project PROVE(for teens) YWCA staff worked with School District of Philadelphia and its Vocational Education Department; AFL-CIO’s Human Resources Development Institute programs worked throughout the country. So, why, 35-40 years later are we here—grappling with the same problems? In part, during the 1980s, the momentum of previous years slowed down to a crawl, primarily because of a seismic shift in federal policy. Downsizing occurred in the public and private sectors. Programs closed. Enforcement declined. The Women’s Bureau under the Reagan administration de-emphasized long-term WB priorities including: non-traditional employment, “comparable worth,” the Equal Rights Amendment. The Bureau’s emphasis became “striking a balance” between family and work responsibilities. Given the tenor of the times, it was also tempting for many to say: these programs don’t work; we ‘tried’ and ‘they’ didn’t cut it; etc. etc. The inclination was to ignore the positives of previous programs and write them off as being ‘too expensive.’ Perhaps what was missing through all of the previous attempts were three basic premises: · systemic problems require systemic solutions; · systemic solutions must be long-term · systemic solutions carry a price tag. The 40-year history we’ve discussed represent a mixed track record; but, overall, we have enough experience and institutional memory to know what has worked, to know how to operate successful programs, even to know what’s still missing. Some of the efforts begun ‘back in the day’ continue today, programs such as the Diversity Apprenticeship Program/PREP, the program at the Housing Authority, and, until recently, the Tradeswomen of Purpose/Women in Non-Traditional Jobs (TOP/WIN). Several of the local building trades also have cooperative programs with the School District of Philadelphia and other groups. After your first hearing, Commissioners expressed the opinion that “…the problem of minority and female participation is more complex than simple racism and sexism among union officials and contractors.” (Phila.Daily News, June 26, 2008) This “problem” is also about more than the Convention Center Expansion. This question is about Philadelphia’s long-range future. Quality jobs must be open and accessible for more Philadelphians—both adults and young people—on an ongoing basis, not only for the current expansion. This is about demographics. We’ve known for decades that ‘the graying of the workforce’ was coming, along with a range of occupational shortages. (Some of us know it has arrived!) This is another reason the commitment must be ongoing. This is also about the law which still requires both non-discrimination and affirmative action for minorities and women. While enforcement of the laws hasn’t been rigorous in recent times, the laws still stand as do the goals and timetables set by various governmental agencies. The numbers achieved reflect much room for more progress. Can our collective efforts find long-term solutions to this long-standing challenge? We believe so. As we’ve said, there is no simple solution; neither is a solution beyond our reach. We believe that the “solution” must be multi-faceted, be connected to community efforts, be highly visible, be well-coordinated, and be adequately funded. We also believe that a commitment to success will include these principles: PRINCIPLES · Transparency—build it into programs, practices, processes, tracking and reporting systems; · Systemic & comprehensive—evaluate not only current participation by minorities and women but also examine what is needed to build a pipeline(s) for minorities and women so they have ongoing access to the industry’s opportunities. · Long-term—make a commitment to being in this for the long haul; · Accountability & measurability—extend this principle to all involved in the process: contractors, unions, joint apprencticeship committees, monitors, City personnel, school personnel, community-based programs, etc. · Inclusiveness—insist on building cooperation and communication among a range of stakeholders. This is not an “easy” component but an essential one if all the stakeholders are to persist in the ultimate goals. If all groups that this Commission involves work as partners to achieve a fairer representation of minorities and women in the quality jobs that the construction trades offer, we all benefit. QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS In the 1990s, the Labor Department funded the WANTO (Women in Apprenticeship & Non-Traditional Occupations); quite a number of pilot and demonstration projects ensued. In compiling the results of the programs, researchers recommended some strategies that appeared in the more successful programs. We believe these strategies apply to building a framework for change to expand the representation of minorities and women. While there are variations depending upon the particular group, themes are common to Employers, Joint Apprenticeship Committees, Union Leaders & Staff, others working as partners: · Leadership—exerting strong leadership is crucial—by contractors, by union leadership, by JACs. · Accountability—set goals; hold managers and contractors and union leaders accountable; have monitoring plan that measures progress and the lack thereof; have recommended penalties when goals aren’t met. · Recruitment—seek new “supply channels” for minority and female candidates; develop recruiting materials reflecting the active roles of current minority/female members; use current minority/female members for recruitment. · Training—training both in the classroom and on the job is the heart of apprenticeship. Because the playing field is still not level, offering pre-employment or pre-apprenticeship programs to women and minority candidates may be an effective strategy for ultimate success on the job. · Retention—turnover can erode earlier progress of recruiting and training minorities and women. Examine personnel practices; be certain there’s no discrimination in policies or practices. Provide comprehensive orientation to new workers; help them understand the collective bargaining agreement and the apprenticeship contract, and how the union hiring hall works. Assure transparency in all these practices. · Prevention—both contractors and unions must acknowledge their responsibility for a workplace free of discriminatory practices and behaviors whether those practices and behaviors stem from racial/ethnic or gender-based discrimination. Neither racial and ethnic slurs or physical attacks nor sexual harassment or other such behaviors can be tolerated by the contractor or by the union. Leadership must have policies and procedures to handle these complaints swiftly and consistently. Employees must be clear about the policies and the consequences for violating them. These “qualities” don’t describe anything burdensome to employers or unions; rather, they are common-sense elements of a “high performance” workplace. RECOMMENDATIONS It is our belief that it is not necessary to “reinvent the wheel” when it comes to establishing programs that work; rather it’s a matter of “reinventing” an ongoing commitment to funding them and, otherwise, supporting them. We believe that most folks interested in a particular occupation, given proper training and support, can succeed when provided the opportunity. Having said that, the Philadelphia Chapter of CLUW urges the Mayor’s Commission on Construction to incorporate the following into their recommendations: There are many potential partners including unions and community groups, schools, · Make a multi-year commitment to fund (or to seek funding for) training and development programs available to minorities and women, including pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship programs. · Explore with the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board (PWIB) and the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC) whether the City’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds are being used for high quality training programs, including any focusing on minorities and women in the construction trades. · Seek funds for a range of recruitment and training programs to develop a pipeline for women and minorities who have interest in pre-apprenticeship preparation for the purpose of creating an “available pool” of candidates for openings in the construction industry. · Develop or re-kindle relationships between the School District and individual unions to cultivate interest in the trades among high school students in comprehensive as well as vocational high schools. · Expand the initiative that Juan Ramos, President of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement presented at the Commission’s June 24, 2008 hearing to include other experienced minority and female tradespeople. His recommendation was that the Commission explore testing of experienced nonunion craftspeople and facilitate their certification as union Journey-level workers, bypassing apprenticeship. As Juan Ramos said so eloquently: This is not just a path, it’s a highway to true labor diversity. Finally, we make a “bigger picture,” longer term recommendation which may not be the defined job of the Commission but which we direct towards all of us wanting to improve our city. It is that we make a commitment to rebuild our communities and our infrastructure, thereby reducing our city’s high poverty rate. Much work in the construction industry has been cyclical; there are times of low employment. At the same time, Philadelphia has one of the nation’s highest housing abandonment/dilapidation rates. There is a drastic need for ‘affordable’ housing and reversing decay in our city. This presents an opportunity for community leaders—in government, in civic leadership, in companies, in unions,--to seek long-term solutions to these problems as well. A coalition of Contractors, Trade Unions, Community Developers, and others could push for a massive infusion of capital to address our many needs. Thank you for listening to our comments and for considering our recommendations. ************************************************ About CLUW... The Coalition of Labor Union Women is a national constituency group of the AFL-CIO, founded in 1974 to address the critical needs of millions of unorganized women and to make our unions more responsive to the needs of their female members, especially women of color. CLUW identifies common problems and concerns of working women and develops action programs to address them. Our national President is Marsha Zakowski, long time Union Activist and staff member of the United Steel Worker's Union. (Visit the national website at www.cluw.org.) Our Philadelphia Chapter President is Kathy Black, AFSCME DC47's Health & Safety Director. Kathy has been involved in an endless number of campaigns to benefit Unions and women in the Philadelphia area. She represents our Chapter as a Co-Convenor (6 equal officers) of U.S. Labor Against the War, and as a delegate to the Philadelphia AFL-CIO. She also serves on the Board of Directors of PhilaPOSH (Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health), and as Vice President for Finance of the Philadelphia NOW Chapter (National Organization for Women). Our Chapter VP is Theresa Harris-Johnson, UNITE/HERE; Secretary Diane Mohney, PFT; Treasurer, Regina Fuller, APWU. We have 25 at-large Board members from 8 different international unions. CLUW's National Executive Board (NEB) meets three times a year in various cities. Our Chapter delegates to the NEB are Lillian Randolph, AFSCME Local 696, DC33, Sylvia Lieberman, PFT, and Regina Fuller, APWU. Our Alternate Delegates are Judy Hoover, AFSCME Local 2187, DC47, Yvonne Harris, AFSCME Local 590, DC47, and Joanne Gainey, UNITE/HERE. Our state Vice President is Barbara Barnes, Sprinkler Fitters Union, from Pittsburgh, and Janet Ryder, Philadelphia AFL-CIO/United Way is our Alternate Vice President. Kathy Black is an automatic delegate to the NEB as Chapter President. A national convention is held every two years. We celebrated our 13th biennial national convention in Las Vegas in 2007, and as always, a large Philadelphia group was in attendance. Click here to connect to National CLUW: http://www.cluw.org/index.html ******************************************************** Please take a minute to ask your Senators to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). ENDA would bar discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. In 39 states in this country, it is completely legal to fire someone because they may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Recently, Democratic officials in Congress have said that ENDA will be voted on in September. They have also said that they will only bring it up for a vote if they know they have the votes to pass it. This is where you can help. If you have friends, family, or co-workers that have not spoke out in favor of the bill, please pass this email on to them and ask that they take action at the link below. The time is now for us to tell our elected officials that we expect them to vote in favor of ENDA! Please pass on the link below today. http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/pawenda ******************************************************* NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR!!! NOT ONE MORE DEATH!!! BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!! Check the U.S. Labor Against the War website regularly, for news on the war and our campaign to end it. CLUW is a proud member of USLAW, at the national and chapter levels. Our President, Kathy Black, was elected to the national leadership team in February 2007, when the Steering Committee voted to expand the number of Co-Convenors from five to six. www.uslaboragainstwar.org. ******************************************************** |