AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
In Chicago this weekend, more than 5,000 construction workers from all over the U.S. and Canada have gathered, all of them women. They've come to talk about working in what's still very much a man's world. Some are worried things could get harder. For more, we're joined by NPR's Andrea Hsu, who's in Chicago. Welcome to the show.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Hi.
RASCOE: So what's this gathering all about?
HSU: Yeah, this is the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world - plumbers, painters, electricians, bricklayers, sheet metal workers, you name it. It's a chance for them to network and share ideas and commiserate with other women doing this work. These are physically demanding jobs. They also pay well and come with benefits. And, Ayesha, for decades, there have been efforts to grow the share of women in these jobs. But progress has been incredibly slow, and some people here are worried it's stagnating. Overall, women still account for just 4% to 5% of those out on job sites working with tools.
RASCOE: I mean, that's a very small percentage.
HSU: Yeah. You know, many of the women I've spoken with here tell me they're often the only woman on a job site. I met an electrician trainee, Asante McKinney (ph). She hadn't seen another woman on her building site till the other day, and she was really excited.
ASANTE MCKINNEY: We instantly smiled and laughed. She came over, introduced herself. I told her my name, and it was like, good. I'm not the only one. Like, us seeing each other - we just knew, like, yeah, we doing it. It felt pretty badass.
HSU: So, Ayesha, these women tell me being here with thousands of others is really empowering. And a highlight of this conference is the banner parade. Picture thousands of tradeswomen wearing their union shirts, marching through the streets of Chicago with their union sisters and some of their union brothers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED TRADESWOMEN: (Chanting) We are the laborers.
UNIDENTIFIED TRADESWOMAN: Everybody labors (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED TRADESWOMEN: (Chanting) Everybody labors (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED TRADESWOMAN: We are the laborers.
UNIDENTIFIED TRADESWOMEN: (Chanting) We are the laborers.
HSU: It was a real show of solidarity, so a celebratory mood. But underlying this, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future.
RASCOE: Well, what kind of uncertainties?
HSU: Well, one is whether there will be plentiful jobs in construction. Union leaders say tariffs have already slowed commercial building construction. There are also concerns about the rollback of renewable energy tax credits. A lot of union workers were anticipating jobs building massive solar and wind projects. And now you have a president who's not a fan of renewables.
RASCOE: Well, I mean, it sounds like that would affect all workers, you know, not just women.
HSU: Yeah, absolutely. Men, too, but women just entering the trades now are worried that if there's a slowdown, there won't be room for them. And on top of this, there are concerns specific to women tied to President Trump's executive orders cracking down on what he calls illegal DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion. And that's led to the cancellation of federal grants for organizations helping to get women into the trades, including a prominent one here in Chicago, Chicago Women in the Trades. They've filed a lawsuit challenging the anti-DEI executive orders.
RASCOE: But the conference you're attending - it's been spared from these cuts?
HSU: Well, yeah. The labor unions and private companies who sponsor this conference have stood by it. Most unions remain steadfast in their DEI programs. The one exception is the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Earlier this year, they announced they were ending their Sisters in the Brotherhood program, their women's group that's been around for more than two decades. The carpenters' union told its members that the Sisters program and other affinity groups for Black workers, Latino workers were at legal risk because of Trump's executive orders. Now, I have met some women carpenters who paid their own way to be here. They told me some Sisters in the Brotherhood groups are continuing to meet quietly. They say they're not going to give up the progress they've made without a fight.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Andrea Hsu in Chicago. Thanks for being with us.
HSU: Thanks so much, Ayesha.
(SOUNDBITE OF BREMER/MCCOY'S "PA VEJ") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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