The Tradeswomen Heroes Award

The Tradeswomen Heroes Award

by | Jul 21, 2021 | Local, NABTU, National News

Iron Workers 392 journeywoman wins NABTU tradeswoman hero award

Mishelle Wallace second St. Louis-area tradeswoman to receive the national award

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Wallace, 54, is the second St. Louis metro area tradeswoman to be honored in the program, which began last October. Emily Gilreath, a third-year apprentice with Laborers Local 338, received an award earlier this year.

Mishelle Wallace, a 12-year member of Iron Workers Local 392, has been recognized with a North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Tradeswoman Hero Award.

Local 392 Business Manager John Schmitt nominated Wallace for the award, calling her a great asset to all tradespeople.

“Being a pillar of the community, Mishelle is always in great spirits, and she is idolized by everyone that works with or around her,” Schmitt said. “She packs and ties rods on bridge decks – some of the hardest work in the industry – and never complains.”

To underscore her strength and shining personality, Schmitt submitted a photo of Wallace (see above) after she worked a shift last year in 94-degree weather with a heat index of 102.

“The day before, a 25-year-old man went home in the morning, and on the day I took that photo of Mishelle, two young men went home early and never returned. She is extremely strong both physically and mentally.”

Wallace, of Cahokia, Ill., works for D&K Welding. She said she knew Schmitt nominated her for the award and was very surprised when she won.

“I’ve never won anything like this before, and I’m sure there are many other women who are more deserving,” Wallace said. “But it’s an honor.”

Wallace is a second-generation iron worker following in her uncle’s footsteps. Her son Arlandis Henderson, 23, is a Local 392 apprentice who joined the union last year.

“He joined because he thought I was rich,” she joked.

Wallace said when she joined Local 392, she honestly thought she was going to be on a street holding a sign.

“It was hard work, but once you get in there and get the hang of it, it becomes easier,” she said. “Plus, I enjoy the people I work with, and I like being outdoors and the travel.”

AWARDS PROGRAM
NABTU’s Tradeswomen Heroes Awards program recognizes four tradeswomen each month who lead by example and perform their duties at an outstanding level. The program honors two apprentices and two journey-level workers in the United States and Canada.

To learn more about the program email us at info@newbt.org

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Tradeswomen Heroes Award NABTU’s Tradeswomen’s Committee and Apprenticeship and Training Committee created a new initiative - the Tradeswomen Heroes Award - to honor the dedicated tradeswomen within NABTU’s 14 affiliate unions.

This award will recognize four tradeswomen each month - two apprentices and two journey-level workers - to highlight on NABTU’s website and social media pages. See below for information on how to make a nomination, and what will go into the selection process.

Nominations - Form Linked Here

  • Nominations can be made by members of the Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Tradeswomen’s Committee, and Governing Board of Presidents, as well as by Council Leaders, and Business Managers.
  • To make a nomination, fill out the form linked above. Please be prepared to submit a bio and photo for each Tradeswoman that you nominate.
  • Nominees must be in good standing with their local union and display outstanding leadership on and off the job site.

Selections - Form Linked Here

  •  After a few weeks fielding nominations, NABTU will share the complete list once a month with a sub-committee consisting of members from NABTU’s Tradeswomen’s Committee and Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
  • This sub-committee will then vet and select their four top choices (two apprentices and two journey-level workers) using the form linked above.
  • NABTU will then determine which tradeswomen got the most selections and will post the award winners’ pictures and bios on social media and the NABTU website. The deadline to submit a nomination for next month is October 1. Please contact Kaitlyn Seger (kseger@nabtu.org) and William Ponds (wponds@nabtu.org) with any questions or comments regarding this award.

TRADESWOMAN HERO: Mishelle Wallace, an Iron Workers Local 392 journeywoman, has been recognized with a North America’s Building Trades Unions Tradeswoman Hero Award. Her strength and shining personality are shown here in a photo from July 8, 2020, after working in 94-degree weather with a heat index of 102. – John Schmitt/Iron Workers Local 392 photo

The Building Trades’ world-class apprenticeship programs

The Building Trades’ world-class apprenticeship programs

by | Apr 22, 2021 | Local, National News

The Building Trades’ world-class apprenticeship programs train workers to become highly-skilled, six-figure earning construction workers through a debt-free, technologically-advanced education. These earn-as-you-learn programs pay family-supporting wages and provide health care coverage and retirement benefits.

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The safest, most highly-skilled and productive construction craft workers in the world receive their training at privately-funded training centers, which are jointly administered by construction contractors and building trades educators. These training centers offer nationally recognized, state-of-the-art curricula and cutting-edge technology in each trade. Together, the Building Trades and partner contractors invest nearly $2 billion annually in U.S. apprentice and journey-level training.  H2H’s affiliate unions and partner contractors operate more than 1,600 U.S. training centers.

Lean In – Helping women come together and achieve their goals

Lean In – Helping women come together and achieve their goals

by | Dec 5, 2020 | Lean In, Local, National News

We help women achieve their ambitions and work to create an equal world.

lean in,organizations that help woman,womans rights,womans worker rights,union woman Website: https://leanin.org/about

We want a world where people of every gender can pursue their dreams without bias or other barriers holding them back. Where girls grow up to be confident, resilient leaders. Where more women run companies and countries. We are driven by the belief our society and economy would be better if women and girls were valued as equal to men and boys.

We help women come together to learn from each other and achieve their goals, because women can be a powerful force for change in the world.

More than 50,000 women have started Lean In Circles in 184 countries, and new Circles are starting every day. Circles bring together women from all walks of life, from Latina immigrants to women in the U.S. military to so-called “leftover” women in China. In these small groups, women get and give peer mentorship, sharpen their skills, and have a place to be unapologetically ambitious.

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Our Equal Pay Day campaigns take aim at the gender pay gap. Our annual Women in the Workplace study — the largest of its kind — highlights the barriers women face and includes data-driven recommendations for how companies can do better. Our Mentor Her initiative calls on men to mentor and sponsor women, which is critical for workplace equality. On vital issues like sexual harassment and paid family leave, we take a stand.

We run programs to combat bias, because changing the trajectory of women and girls means changing how we think about gender.

From research-backed tips for managers to an initiative with the NBA that calls on men to do their part, we give people the tools to push back against bias at work and at home. To challenge gender stereotypes in advertising and media, we curate a collection of more than 15,000 photographs of empowered girls and women in partnership with Getty Images.

 

Start your apprenticeship training in the union trades today

Start your apprenticeship training in the union trades today

by | Oct 13, 2020 | Local, National News

Apprenticeship training will help you increase your future earnings potential & opportunities for you and your family!  The Union Building & Construction Trades in Northeastern Wisconsin are providing many opportunities for individuals and students just graduating from high school looking for a career in the unions.  We are here to help you get started with your apprenticeship.

Looking For A Career in Construction in Northeast Wisconsin?

Looking For A Career in Construction in Northeast Wisconsin?

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Local, National News

10,000+ Members Strong • Building Quality Communities in Northeast Wisconsin

Are you looking for good pay, insurance, and retirement. If you are new to construction we have starting pay above $20 an hour in an apprenticeship program with no experience. If you have experience pay can be negotiable. These are some of the contractors that we work with. There are over 40,000 people that are working in the trades in Wisconsin. With the current projects and people retiring there is something for everyone. You will see out of state contractors on this map but they work in our area and hire locally with our wages and benefits. You will be able to click on a link to find our wages, benefits, and how to get hired.

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