BUSINESS AND TRAINING
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57% reported being touched or asked
for sex
52% reported that men had refused
to work with them during their
careers
41% reported being mistreated by
co-workers and/or supervisors because
they were female
22% had never worked with another
woman
10% had experienced threats of
physical violence by co-workers.
These stats are also accompanied by general
feelings of isolation, hesitation to report
harassment or safety issues, a reluctance to
ask for help, and the feeling that they are not
given opportunities to learn or test new skills
because of their gender.
“Things happen on the job site,” Barillas
says hesitantly. “Guys can say some awful
things. So, we all come together and create
that space — the ability for someone to pick
up the phone and call, whether it be me,
whether it be Sara, whether it be Lolita, or
one of the other sisters, but to call someone
and say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on at my
job site.’ It’s just giving them that safe zone
where they can say whatever they want.
We’re going to be here to listen and then
help them move on from that situation. Job
sites are job sites, you know? It’s not pretty,
but we’re also adults, and there are ways to
act like adults.”
With the components of support, education,
mentorship, and community in place,
recruiting and retaining women at Local
130 becomes a well-oiled machine,
according to Barillas. Like gears, all of
these components are needed. You can
recruit, but if new apprentices don’t feel
welcome and they’re not progressing, then
they will not stay for long. You can create a
community within an existing group, but if
you’re not recruiting new members, there’s
no one to keep momentum going and to
replace you in the future.
“One of the things we’ve heard from women
is that what they see in us, as far as the
Women of 130 and the sisterhood we have,
is what makes them want to join and be
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
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with us. Because they see it,” Barillas says.
“They see the bond. They see what we’re
doing and they’re like, ‘We want to be a
part of that.’ So, it’s like dominoes, it starts
falling into place.
“CWIT has a lot to do with the increase in
numbers, as well as Local 130 and our JAC
Coordinator for being open to and accepting
of the women coming in,” she continues.
“Just in the last five years, we’ve had 30
women apprentices join. Thirty apprentices!
We have 63 women in our local now —
that’s including journeymen, retirees, and
apprentices. So, we've doubled.”
So, how can other trade unions and cities
match the success of Women of 130?
According to Barillas, it’s about leaving egos
at the door.
“I got very lucky having Sarah and Lolita,”
she says. “We are all very strong women, but
we’re very different and we complement each
other. There’s no one who’s better than the
other, there’s no one who’s more of a leader
than another. We have our good qualities
and it just kind of melds together. You really
have to set your ego aside and be willing
and open to other people’s ideas, thoughts,
and experiences and bring those together to
form a group like ours. We have some girls
that will be fourth-year apprentices soon and
our fifth-year apprentices will be journeying
out, so we’re talking about bringing them into
leadership roles — into the Senior Sister roles.
You have to be open to stepping back, you’re
not always going to be the leader. Someone
else is going to have to take the reins.”
It’s 18:30 on a Thursday in a warehouse on
the Near West Side of Chicago. This isn’t a
social gathering, night school, or a support
group; it’s all of those things and more. This
is the Women of 130.
“There is nothing I would rather do,”
Barillas says. “This is all I want to do. This
is me. And of course, why wouldn’t I want
to be a plumber? Look at us. Look at this
sisterhood!”
“Absolutely!” Hughes says, barely audible over
a burst of laughter from the apprentices. PA
June 2019 Volume 25 I Number 4