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CELEBRATING LABOR IN THE BIG APPLE
Women have been an
intregal part of the
trade workforce and its
unions for decades. One New
York organization has been
helping put more women into
these roles to ensure success
for women, then industry,
and the city.
Nontraditional Employment
for Women has been a
groundbreaking model that
works for women and for
New York City. Its free training
programs give women
the skills and knowledge
they need to begin careers as
union tradeswomen.
Founded in 1978, the company
recruits, trains, and
places women in careers in
the skilled-construction, utility,
and maintenance trades,
NYC WORKS
helping them achieve economic
independence and a secure
future. At the same time,
it provides a pipeline of qualifi
ed workers to the industries
that build, move, power, green
and maintain New York.
Nontraditional Employment
for Women and Local
79 have long been partners in
their shared labor movement
goals. They work together
to ensure the life-changing
career of a union laborer is
accessible to women, that
tradeswomen advance into
leadership within the labor
movement, and that communities
across New York know
the power, not just of a union
career, but all importance of
women holding that power.
Several graduates of the
FIRE
Caribbean L 46 ife, March 15–21, 2019 BQ
group are in nearly every Local
79 apprentice class. Annually,
it proudly places nearly
20 women in the rigorous and
rewarding program. Beyond
direct career opportunities,
Nontraditional Employment
for Women and Local 79 work
together on local campaigns
that benefi t working people,
especially women. The two
continue to build on this partnership,
especially as they
prepare to help the laborers
meet their new goal of recruiting
15 percent of each apprentice
class from Nontraditional
Employment for Women.
In the last decade alone,
Nontraditional Employment
for Women has placed women
in more than 2,700 construction
careers and more than
1,000 women in additional industry
related positions. The
organization is committed to
changing the lives of women
by providing them opportunities
to move out of poverty
and into prosperity through
careers in the trades.
Strong women help
to build New York
Organization trains ladies for success
Nontraditional Employment for Women helps put more women into union
trade positions through training and placement.
fell and died trying to
escape through the elevator
shaft, or desperately
jumping out of the
windows, according to
a information from the
History Channel.
The horrifi c fi re was
a pivotal moment in U.S.
history that caused revolutionary
reform for
the protection of workers’
rights. The event
helped lead to the birth
of the International Ladies’
Garment Workers’
Union in the city.
And ten years after
the fi re, more than 36
labor-protection laws
were passed, including
fi re-regulation laws,
and laws limiting the
number of hours women
and children could
spend toiling.
The New York City
Landmarks Preservation
Commission on
Jan. 22 approved “Reframing
the Sky,” a memorial
dedicated to the
victims of the fi re. Advocacy
group Remember
the Triangle Fire
Coalition is currently
raising funds for the
memorial, and intends
on displaying it outside
the former Triangle
building, which is now
part of New York University’s
campus, with
plans to fi nish the memorial
in spring of 2019,
according to the group’s
website.
“There are few memorials
to women, to
workers, or to immigrants.
Remembering
these workers and honoring
their legacies is
long overdue,” wrote
members of the Remember
the Triangle Fire
Coalition.
Offi cial commemoration
of the 108th anniversary
of the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory Fire
(Washington Place and
Greene Street, rememberthetrianglefire.
org)
on March 25, from 12 to
1 pm.
Continued from page 43
HONORING THOSE LOST: An attendee of last year’s memorial event placed a fl ower for a victim.
Remember the Triangle File Coalition