IBEW women and their allies filled a ballroom at the San Diego Convention Center for the Women’s Conference prior to the beginning of the 41st IBEW International Convention.
“Together, we are creating a legacy where women will have the space to create opportunities and build networks that strengthen their local union, the community and each other,” said IBEW Civic and Community Engagement Director Jennifer Gray.
Attendees heard from International President Kenneth W. Cooper, International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble, International Executive Committee Chair Joe Calabro, Ninth District International Vice President Dave Reaves and members of the International Women’s Committee.
“As we begin this conference, may we leave here stronger, more connected and ready for what comes next,” said Erin Sullivan, International Women’s Committee member for the Third District. “Because when IBEW women stand together, we don’t just make room at the table, we make the table bigger.”
Cooper told those in attendance that there are 104 Women’s Committees throughout the U.S. and Canada, beating the goal of 100 by the convention.
“It’s not enough, but it continues to grow,” he said, further noting that 34% of new apprentices are women and people of color, and that there has been a 90% increase in the number of women apprentices in the past seven years.
Retired Fourth District International Vice President Gina Cooper told attendees that becoming the first woman in that role was never something she aspired to do.
“I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how close I came to refusing the position outright,” she said. “Not because I didn’t think I could do the job. I knew I could do the job. I just didn’t want to have to prove it — again.”
But, she said, leadership often means rising above inequality, because when one woman speaks out, another finds her voice.
“It means refusing to shrink yourself so someone else can feel comfortable, and remembering that you don’t have to be fearless to be courageous,” she said.
The speeches were followed by a panel discussion that offered guidance on a variety of workplace topics.
“I appreciated the panel’s advice,” said Dianna O’Brien, business manager of Lincoln, Neb., Local 2366, a manufacturing local. “There are differences between working in manufacturing and construction, but the advice still applies.”
The portion of the conference on mental health included information from Lyndsee Cooper, director of mental health awareness and advocacy for the NECA/IBEW Family Medical Care Plan.
She shared that one in five adults in the U.S. has experienced a mental health issue, which comes out to roughly 61.5 million people, including 183,200 IBEW members. She emphasized women’s mental health as it relates to issues including postpartum depression and shared information on services offered through the FMCP, such as suicide prevention training and its Member Assistance Program.
The conference ended with a discussion of the difference between being a bystander to harassment and being an “upstander,” someone who speaks up and works against such treatment. The training is available through the IBEW Education Department and details different methods for intervening when someone witnesses harassment.
“Learning about the different intervention styles was helpful because not everybody is comfortable being confrontational,” said Josee Ellei, a member from New Brunswick attending the convention as a NextGen delegate. NextGen is IBEW Canada’s young-worker initiative.
For Sullivan, groups like the International Women’s Committee will be needed until women achieve true equality on the job.
“We’re still dealing with dynamics like ‘John has to work himself out of a job and Mary has to work herself into one,’” she said. “If we can get the decision-makers into a room of the Women’s Conference, they would see the energy and power they’re failing to tap into. Women get things done. Why wouldn’t any business manager want that for their membership?”
