Dinner & Awards – “Her Story – women in the Trades”
IBEW Locals 1245 & 595 with Congresswoman and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi.
More than two hundred labor women in the trades from across California, including members of the IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee, filled the IBEW Local 6 Union Hall in San Francsico for the 3rd annual Dinner and Awards ceremony celebrating Women’s History Month and “Her Story: Women in the Trades.”
IBEW Local 6 Business Manager John J Doherty, hosted the evening, and welcomed the union sisters as well as other representatives of the labor movement and political leadership of San Francsico.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, San Francsico Supervisors Connie Chan and Myrna Melgar, San Francisco Building Trades President Rudy Gonzalez, and San Francisco Labor Council Executive Director Kim Tavaglione were among the attendees.
Brother Doherty honored two pioneers elected by their peers for special recognition.
Judy Ryan, initiated in 1998, was a trailblazer who “helped to shape crews, support clients, inspire a new generation of our workforce and create a heightened level of respect for women in our industry. Judy retired in 2025, after working 28 years in the field, primarily as a foreman.”
Judy Cabrera-Canelo is an active member of Local 6 who “goes above and beyond to train upcoming Local 6 members. She has worked as a foreman on many projects and has a great reputation as a hard worker who gets the job done.’
US House of Representatives Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi was also honored. A longtime friend and ally of labor in general and IBEW in particular, Pelosi has been instrumental in protecting labor pensions, strengthening workers’ rights and passing landmark legislation which pumped resources into IBEW industries in support of IBEW jobs.
The Congresswoman was greeted with a standing ovation and presented with an honorary membership of Local 6, only the second politician to ever receive the recognition. Deeply moved, the Speaker thanked the labor movement and IBEW for their work, declaring the work has never been more important, and reiterating one of her favorite invocations: “Don’t agonize, organize! Unionize!”
And IBEW 1245’s Women’s Committee is doing just that.
IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee: Iyasha Davis, Eileen Purcell, Nicole Brooks (chair), Jennifer Boychuk, Nicole Caldwell, Julie Brousseau.
Begun in late 2024 at the direction of IBEW Local 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean, IBEW 1245’s Women’s Committee is comprised of fourteen women representing a cross section of job classifications and employers from across California and Nevada.
Classifications include Journeyman Linemen, Substation and GC Electricians, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators, Gas Pipe Inspectors, Welders, Tree trimmers, Traffic Control Techs and Clerks.
The committee’s twofold mission is 1) to provide a space and voice for 1245 women to be seen, heard, supported and celebrated and 2) to grow the number of women across our industries by reaching out to girls and women to introduce them to the trades and to encourage them to join.
Committee members are honing their leadership skills as they attend job fairs, high school assemblies, conferences, and local community events where they share their stories, showcase the trades, lift up the union difference and describe opportunities for girls and women to pursue a career. They volunteer their time at a range of union events, showing up early and staying late.
They have been invited to share their organizing model with other locals. Recently, the International Union (IO) chartered the committee, and IBEW 1245 Business Representative and Women’s Committee Chair Nicole Brooks was invited to share her own story as a pioneer in the trades at the 2026 9th District Progress meeting.
Several IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee members attended the dinner.
IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee member and PG&E Customer Service Representative Iyasha Davis stated, “Events like this are an important reminder of the strength, resilience, and progress of women in the trades. It was an honor to attend, celebrate the accomplishments of our sisters, and reflect on the history that continues to shape the future for the next generation of women in our union.”
Nicole Caldwell, a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator out of Willits and Women’s Committee member noted, “What I appreciated most was the sense of acceptance, camaraderie, and the incredible accomplishments of everyone in the room. The support, acknowledgements, cheers, and smiles were proof that the work being done truly matters.”
Julie Brousseau Anderson, a Traffic Control Tech 1 Lead, added, “The stories of strength and resilience shared throughout the evening were incredibly moving and clearly resonated with everyone in attendance.”
Jennifer Boychuk, a PG&E Leader’s Clerk, said she was grateful to be part of the celebration alongside her fellow union sisters. “It meant a lot to be there with my 1245 sisters celebrating women who are strengthening our community.”
Brooks stated, “Events like IBEW Local 6’s dinner celebrating women in the trades and the work of the IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee testify to the fact that there is no limit to what women can do when given the opportunity and support!”