When Janus Miller was apprenticing some 30 years ago, there were hardly any women on jobsites. Now, those numbers are up and the new generation isn't just learning the trade, they're leading the way.
"There's a culture change going on," said the Oklahoma City Local 1141 organizer. "Our women are really stepping up."
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| Local 1141 instructor and Audit Committee chair Sherrie Whorton works at Tinker Air Force base doing medium voltage terminations as a part of an underground utilities project.
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| Brittany Aguallo shows her IBEW pride at the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, held in December 2023.
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There are about 50 women in the 1,700-member local. That percentage may be low, but it's been increasing at this local and across North America, representing significant progress and meaning women today are less likely to be the only one on a jobsite.
"More and more women are coming through. I'm seeing groups of them at the hall. That's not how it was when I was coming up," said Miller, who was the first woman to earn Journeyman the Year at the local in 2012.
Local 1141 doesn't have an official Women's Committee or a specific outreach plan. Its growth has largely been organic. Some women are coming in because of a post they saw on social media. A few are following their relatives who are in the trades. Others are finding their way through organizations like the National Association of Women in Construction. And of course, women are also coming in through the efforts of organizers like Miller.
"We try to jump on anything we can," said Miller, who's recruited women everywhere from jobsites to the Waffle House. "I have no problem talking to anyone about the trade."
The Institute for Women's Policy Research has found that union-sponsored apprenticeships tend to have higher percentages of women than nonunion apprenticeships, and that the completion rate for women electricians was nearly three times as high in union programs than in nonunion ones.
These facts aren't surprising to Miller.
"When the women realize what the union fights for, from wages to licensing, I can get in with them," she said. "They like that they don't need anyone else to pay the bills or have insurance and a retirement plan."
Shylena Littlejohn worked as a carpenter for 13 years, then decided to move into electrical work. She started on the nonunion side but eventually reached a point where she wanted the kind of benefits that provide health care and a secure future. Now, as a construction electrician with Local 1141, she has that and more. And while she said it can be hard to be one of the only women CEs, it's a lot better than what she experienced in her previous jobs.
"A union gives you the most level playing field there is," she said. "It's the only time I've experienced it in my career."
When fourth-year apprentice Fallyn Sims moved with her husband from Nebraska to Oklahoma, she wasn't planning to follow him into the trade. (They met when he was working as a traveler.) But after working as a stay-at-home mom for a few years, she decided to try her hand at electrical work.
"I love it," she said. "It's never monotonous. You can be running wires one day and terminating devices another. No two wire pulls are ever the same."
Sims isn't just succeeding in her apprenticeship. She's also getting involved with the local at every chance she gets. She attends almost every union meeting and was part of Local 1141's 100th-anniversary planning committee. She's put together student groups and attended the IBEW International Convention and women's conferences.
"My nickname is Mom," she jokes. "Wherever you need me, just put me in there."
Like a good parent, Sims is also looking out for the next generation and thinking about how to bring more women in. She'd like to see a pre-apprenticeship for women and a maternity benefit, which she's been talking to Portland, Ore., Local 48's business manager about. Local 48, along with other Oregon locals, started providing the benefit in 2020.
"It's a big issue with younger women," she said. "They worry about getting pregnant during the apprenticeship. Right now, we only have short-term disability."
When first-year apprentice Laura Strange talks to other women about what she does for a living, she says there's usually shock at first, then intrigue, then a lot of questions.
"I encourage any woman to give it a try," she said. "I tell them it's not scary, that there's no reason they can't do it."
A second-generation member, she saw from an early age all the benefits that IBEW membership offered. And her dad, also a Local 1141 member, always talked highly of the women he worked with.
"My dad was excited when I joined," Strange said. "He's always told me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner."
Like Miller, Sherrie Whorton has been around long enough to witness the culture change in the trades firsthand.
"Over the past 20-plus years, I've seen so much evolution within the trades and especially within Local 1141," said the instructor and Audit Committee chair. "When I first got into the trades, the acceptance level was so small. There was a lot more discrimination. That acceptance of women has increased dramatically. It's made my own experience life-changing."
While women still encounter discrimination on the job, for Whorton it's an invitation to prove herself and dismantle the myth that women can't do the work. That drive to shatter stereotypes is also why she takes on leadership roles, both within Local 1141 and the local labor movement.
"I actually love being a minority within the trades and continually exceeding the expectations of tradesmen," said Whorton, who serves as the vice president of the Oklahoma City chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. "I love being in leadership roles so I can stand as proof that women belong in the trades — and that we can excel at it."
Whorton credits Local 1141 with having created a culture of support that's encouraged her to reach her full potential.
"The brotherhood and sisterhood gained through 1141 has been life-altering. Anytime I have come up with a new idea that would benefit the local or a charitable event that could benefit from our support, they've been there," said Whorton, who is thinking of starting a mentorship program for women as her next project. "When women within the local succeed, the local as a whole succeeds."
Fourth-year apprentice Abby Roush originally thought she'd get a biology degree and work in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math. But when she saw what student-loan debt and a lack of well-paying jobs were doing to her friends, she decided to expand her career options.
"As soon as I got my hands on some electrical work, I was hooked," said Roush, who started with Tulsa Local 584 before moving to Local 1141 in 2022.
Roush said she's had mixed experiences on the job when it comes to gender-based discrimination, but Local 1141 has been very welcoming. That sense of solidarity is something she makes sure to extend to other apprentices.
"One of my favorite things to do is hand out Weingarten Rights cards," she said of the cards that let union members know what their representation rights are.
While some aspects of being a tradeswoman continue to be a challenge — Roush said proper-fitting personal protective equipment is an ongoing obstacle — she appreciates the abundance of opportunities that Local 1141 has offered her. She's active in the local CLUW chapter and represented the local at the Young Women Worker's Academy, a multi-day workshop put on by fellow CLUW members.
"I've gained a lot of confidence over the past five years," Roush said. "I've found a support network in other union tradeswomen that runs deep, and I've gotten to meet some exceptional folks through the union."
It's not just the sisters of Local 1141 who are creating a more inclusive atmosphere for women; it's the brothers, too. Brittany Aguallo never thought she'd be an electrician, but the husband of a co-worker — a local 1141 member — encouraged her to apply to the apprenticeship.
"He shared his experience and love of the trade and encouraged me to expand my interest," said the former cellphone repair technician. "The apprenticeship was the best decision I ever made to improve my skill set and quality of life."
Like her sisters, Aguallo has seen firsthand how women can strengthen a jobsite. Whether it's a tendency for attention to detail, communication skills or just offering a different perspective, women bring a lot of value to the electrical trade.
"I believe men and women complement each other," Aguallo said. "There have been many times my small hands have been the most valuable and efficient tools for job tasks, and my smaller body has allowed me to safely complete work where for others it would be unattainable."
It's a benefit that a lot of brothers have noticed, too. Strange said foremen have told her how much they appreciate having women on the job.
"It creates a positive atmosphere. With a mix of genders, we all do well," Strange said. "I know that I'm appreciated for the work I do, and that makes me want to work more and better."