By Rebecca Band
As recently as 50 years ago, female members of the IBEW were few and far between, and women leaders were even rarer. But as the union has branched out into different sectors and more women have entered the construction and utility industries, the “brotherhood” has evolved to include thousands of sisters as well, with an increasing number stepping into leadership roles.
This changing dynamic is what prompted the IBEW to launch a biennial Women’s Conference 14 years ago, and over the years, the unique event has grown in leaps and bounds. At this year’s conference in San Antonio, more than 460 women (and some men as well) came out to what is widely referred to as “the best conference that IBEW has to offer.”
Attendees came from dozens of locals across the US and Canada, but local 1245 boasted the largest delegation, comprised of 23 rank-and-file members, stewards, leaders, retirees and staff. The delegates from 1245 represented both physical and clerical units and came from all different employers — utility, public sector and manufacturing. Each brought along a distinctive set of experiences, ranging from the seasoned activists and leaders to younger, rank-and-file union newcomers.
“I want to do what they do”
Carrie Grace takes notes during a workshop on member engagement
For new 1245 member Carrie Grace, the conference was a unique experience to truly be immersed in her new union. Grace, who has worked as a machine operator at Sunoptics for almost three years, became an IBEW 1245 member last year and just secured her first ever union contract last week. She’s never been to an IBEW conference before — in fact, she hasn’t even had the opportunity to travel out of state as an adult, so she jumped at the chance to come to Texas and discover all the opportunities that the union has to offer.
“I didn’t even know the union did all these things,” Grace said. “If not for the IBEW, I probably never would have the chance to come to San Antonio, Texas. I got to experience a new culture and meet so many different types of people with amazing stories. It’s been really inspiring.”
During the conference, Grace had the remarkable experience of being sworn into the union by 9th District Vice President Mike Mowery, but for her, the most memorable part of the week was the member-to-member training session that focused on organizing, activating and engaging other members at work. She’s looking forward to bringing the skills she learned back with her, and aspires to take on additional leadership responsibilities after seeing what her new union sisters have been able to contribute to their own locals and units.
“Coming to this conference, it excites you and it definitely makes you want to get more involved. Hearing from all the great speakers here made me realize, I haven’t really done anything, and I want to do what they do! I want to be on their level! And I want to keep the union strong for the next generation by reaching out to other young minorities and spreading the word about what the union is all about.”
“Know who blazed the trails before you”
Lauren Bartlett focuses on the presenters
While Carrie Grace came to the conference with a newcomer’s perspective, many other delegates came with decades of experience with the union. Lauren Bartlett has 23 years with IBEW 1245, has been a shop steward at Sacramento Regional Transit (SRT) for 12 years, and has served on the IBEW 1245 Advisory Council for six years. During that time, she’s attended all sorts of union conferences and functions, but as the only female working in her department at SRT, the Women’s Conference is particularly relevant and meaningful to her. Her favorite session was the “Dangerous and Unladylike: Working Women Who Made History” workshop, which provided an insightful history lesson on female union activists who don’t frequently show up in high school or college history courses.
“I’m fortunate enough to have been a Women’s Studies minor in college, but even then I didn’t really learn a lot of that stuff about the women who helped build the Labor Movement. The history lesson is something that every woman here can walk away from having learned something they didn’t know before,” Bartlett said, noting that understanding the past is essential to empowering more women to become leaders in the future. “You have to know who blazed the trails before you, and that gives you encouragement, especially because you might not have that sort of example in your everyday life.”
Conference Highlights
The four-day conference featured a wide variety of workshops that focused on some tough issues, including gender discrimination and sexual harassment, balancing work and family life, and finding pathways to leadership in an organization that’s still largely dominated by men. Political action, member empowerment, planning for the future and engaging the younger generation were also key themes in several workshops.
Additionally, the conference attendees had the chance to hear from many inspirational female leaders, including A. Phillip Randolph Institute President Clayola Brown, Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams, retired Labor Leader Linda Chavez Johnson and Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Wendy Davis. IBEW President Ed Hill and Secretary/Treasurer Sam Chilia also addressed the delegates, along with the 19 female International Reps and Program Directors from the IBEW who led the sessions and worked tirelessly to make the conference a success.
Although the agenda was jam-packed, there was plenty of time for entertainment as well; a poignant film festival, an upbeat reception, a lively raffle and a fun-filled team-building activity were just some of the opportunities the attendees had to smile, laugh, hug and bond with one another. The 1245 delegates had their own “family dinner” on the last night of the conference as well.
The conference was so impactful that many sisters remarked that they wished it would never end, or that it could take place more often. At the end of the day, the delegates walked away with a renewed sense of belonging, a deeper understanding the importance of the union and the Labor Movement and a call to action to increase their leadership roles in their locals, districts and on the international level.
The delegates from 1245 pose for a photo on the San Antonio Riverwalk
IBEW 1245 Women’s Conference Delegates:
- Donna Ambreau, PG&E
- Elisa Arteaga, City of Gridley
- Rebecca Band, 1245 Staff
- Lauren Bartlett, Sacramento Regional Transit
- Anna Bayless-Martinez, 1245 Executive Board
- Amber Cordeiro, PG&E
- Cecelia De La Torre, 1245 Executive Board
- Arlene Edwards, 1245 Staff
- Marie Fitting, PG&E
- Dorothy Fortier, Retired 1245 Staff
- Carrie Grace, Sunoptics
- Chris Habecker, 1245 Executive Board
- Theresa Hernandez, City of Lompoc
- Keri Hughes, PG&E
- Logan Jonas, PG&E
- Jammi Juarez, 1245 Staff
- Jenny Marston, 1245 Staff
- Lori Mobley, PG&E
- Rachel Ramirez-Hill, PG&E
- Kristen Rasmussen, PG&E
- Elane Robbins, PG&E
- Elizabeth Rounds, PG&E
- Donchele Soper, PG&E
