2023 TWBN Conference sets attendance record
Attendees from Pipefitters Local 120 at the The North America’s Building Trades Unions’ annual Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference in Washington DC
The North America’s Building Trades Unions’ annual Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference shattered its attendance record from the previous year.
The 13th annual event was held from Dec. 1-3 in Washington, D.C., at the Washington Hilton Hotel. More than 4,000 people attended, including over 3,700 union tradeswomen.
The three-day event provided opportunities for tradeswomen to network, discuss trends and learn leadership development through workshops, speakers and trade-specific caucuses. The event also includes social events and a parade.
Billed as the largest gathering of union construction workers in North America, the event began with opening remarks by NABTU President Sean McGarvey. He highlighted the Biden administration's efforts to recruit more women into the trades and leveraged the favorable public perception of labor unions.
He also urged attendees to spread the word about the many benefits of a career in the building trades.
“Talk about your success stories to others – you are the infrastructure generation,” he said.
Following McGarvey, Maria Ford, President of Stanley Black and Decker's Commercial and Industrial Division, addressed the audience.
“I just woke up from my dream where I am in the room and not the minority,” she said.
Ford went on to speak about the difficulties of being a single working mother, and emphasized the prevalent childcare challenges working women face, especially in the construction industry.
Former Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), took the stage to emphasize the role women can play building the future, and declared 2023 as the year of the union worker. She underscored the labor movement's impact on equal pay for equal work and noted that when women succeed, America succeeds.
Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President and IBEW member, expressed her delight at the growing number of tradeswomen who attended the conference. She recognized their increasing influence and encouraged attendees to continue expanding their numbers and consider moving into leadership roles.
“Now is our chance to double and triple our numbers,” said Shuler. “We need leaders who understand the challenges coming our way.”
Acting U.S. Dept. of Labor Secretary Julie Su, addressed the conference through a prerecorded video message.
She thanked the tradeswomen for their contributions in building America during the Biden era. Su emphasized the administration's commitment to creating good-paying union jobs and announced a partnership between the DOL and TWBN to recruit and train women for all trades.
IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams, Jr., and Nicole Schwartz, Executive Director of TradesFutures, also spoke to the attendees.
Williams expressed his awe being in front of a room so full of tradeswomen and shared how Union Joe (Biden) played a pivotal role in making workplace equality a reality.
Schwartz discussed childcare challenges and TWBN pilot programs in New York and Milwaukee, attempting to eliminate childcare as a barrier to workplace accessibility.
The event also featured the annual TWBN Banner Parade, where tradeswomen, along with their union Brothers, marched through the neighborhood around the Washington Hilton.
Beyond the parades and speeches, the conference was a hive of activity, with significant work accomplished in workshops. Packed breakout sessions covered topics ranging from organizing to recruitment strategies.
As the conference concluded, event organizers announced New Orleans as the host city for the 2024 TWBN Conference.