For most of her career, Janelle DeJan was one of the only women in New Orleans Local 130. It’s a story that could be told just about anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. But today, DeJan and her sisters at the local are building a committee to support current women members but also to help cultivate the next generation and beyond.

“We’re not just preparing women for the workplace they walk into today. We’re preparing the trade for the workplace it needs to become tomorrow,” DeJan said.

The impetus for a Women’s Committee came from Local 130 sisters attending events like the IBEW Women’s Conference and Tradeswomen Build Nations, an annual conference put on by North America’s Building Trades Unions.

“Attending the IBEW Women’s Conference was an amazing experience,” Local 130 member Jenni Bivona said. “We made connections and friends, and we wanted to foster that enthusiasm back here in New Orleans.”

Bivona, DeJan and others started small, with a group text and sharing information and resources. Fueled by the sisterhood they found at those events, they created their own committee, the Sparky Sisters.

“A Women’s Committee is essential for the future generations of women in our local,” said Isabel Salathe, a fifth-year apprentice. “It gives us a space to discuss issues on jobsites, as well as foster political engagement in the community.”

Having a Women’s Committee can help recruit the next generation in high schools, too, Local 130 Business Manager Rodney Wallace said.

“My hope is simple. That every woman who puts on her tools in Local 130 knows that she is not alone, she is not invisible and she is not without power.” 

_{– Janelle DeJan, Local 130 member}

“I would go to career fairs at high schools, and so many young ladies would walk right past us, and when we would try to engage them, they would reply with either ‘I’m a girl’ or ‘That’s a man’s job,” he said. “Helping our women to be more visible in our local and our community can only help to change that mentality.”

DeJan added that once women members join, it’s crucial to retain them.

“Bringing more women into the trade is only the beginning. The real work is making sure they stay, thrive and advance,” said DeJan, who co-chairs the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues. “The Sparky Sisters gives women in Local 130 a place for mentorship, leadership opportunities and honest conversations about jobsite culture, all of which help women stay and grow in the trade.”

The necessity of having a space to address workplace culture can become paramount when the culture is hostile — and even deadly. Amber Czech, a welder in Minnesota, was bludgeoned to death by a male co-worker last November while on the job. Some of the work that DeJan does with the task force centers on gender-based violence and harassment.

“What happened to Amber represents a devastating failure of workplace culture and safety across the industry,” said DeJan, who’s contributing to a publication documenting Czech’s story and calling for real reforms to protect all tradeswomen. “A Women’s Committee gives Local 130 the structure to address these realities proactively and directly.”

The Sparky Sisters are in the process of getting credentialed as a formal IBEW Women’s Committee, and they’re building a strong foundation for it now. They’re doing direct outreach at apprenticeship orientations and using group texting and conversations at the hall, sharing the energy and information they gained from Tradeswomen Build Nations.

“Personal invitation matters,” DeJan said. “When women feel seen and valued, they show up.”

Wallis noted that many of the women involved in Sparky Sisters also participate in other groups like the local’s Electrical Workers Minority Caucus and RENEW chapters. RENEW focuses on engaging young members in the union.

“They participate in everything,” Wallis said. “It’s good to see them getting involved with something that’s uniquely set up to empower them.”

Bivona, DeJan and Salathe said that the response from the Local 130 membership has been positive, and that having their local’s leadership on board is incredibly important.

The more they can bring home the solidarity from events like the IBEW Women’s Conference and Tradeswomen Build Nations, the more welcoming they’ll be, DeJan said.

“My hope is simple,” she said. “That every woman who puts on her tools in Local 130 knows that she is not alone, she is not invisible and she is not without power.”