NABTU Announces Tradeswomen Heroes Award

WASHINGTON, DC - Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 - North America’s Building Trades Unions proudly announced the first-ever Tradeswomen Heroes Award winners during the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference over the weekend. This monthly award highlights two apprentices and two journey-level workers that set an exemplary example both on and off the jobsite.

October’s winners are as follows:

• Jenna Wittner, Apprentice, Ironworkers Local 512

• Lorraine Mata, Apprentice, UA Local 467

• Kilah Engelke, Journeyworker, OPCMIA Local 599

• Liliana Calderon, Journeyworker, Bricklayers Local 21

“These Tradeswomen Heroes are exemplary building trades’ members and represent our affiliate unions to the highest degree,” said NABTU President Sean McGarvey. “They are role models and trailblazers and reflect what we love and honor about our workforce.”

This award was created in a joint effort between NABTU’s Tradeswomen’s Committee and Apprenticeship and Training Committee to congratulate and spotlight the dedicated tradeswomen within NABTU’s affiliate unions.

“We are excited to spotlight phenomenal tradeswomen within our unions,” said Vicki O’Leary, NABTU Tradeswomen Committee Chair. “For decades, our tradeswomen have persevered through all kinds of adversity and triumphed on all levels, and we are proud to launch an awards program dedicated to honoring these women and their accomplishments.

“It’s great that NABTU is honoring our Tradeswomen Heroes each month,” said Tom Kriger, NABTU’s Director of Research and Education, “We need more women in the Trades and the trailblazing women honored here to provide great examples of the career pathways available to young women from across the US and from all walks of life.”

Tradeswomen Heroes nominations are made by members of the following NABTU groups/committees: Governing Board of Presidents, Tradeswomen’s Committee, Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Communications Committee, State, Provincial, and Local Council Leaders, and Business Managers from NABTU international affiliates.

Nominations are then reviewed and winners are chosen by the Tradeswomen Heroes Sub-Committee, made up of five members - three from NABTU’s Tradeswomen’s Committee and two from NABTU’s Apprenticeship and Training Committee. To learn more about these tradeswomen and their outstanding track record within the building trades, visit nabtu.org/twbn.

About NABTU: North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1.6 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive, skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry. For more information, please visit http://www.nabtu.org, and to learn more about the building trades efforts, follow the hashtag #BuildingTradesWhateverItTakes.