>>> IT'S NO SECRET THAT CONSTRUCTION HAS TRADITIONALLY
BEEN THOUGHT OF AS A MAN'S JOB.
BUT MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE ENTERING THE FIELD, AND NOW
THERE ARE MORE AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO DO SO.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH JASON GARAND AND LISA CLAUSON,
BOTH OF LOCAL 336, NEW ENGLAND TO LEARN MORE.
>> I WORK TO RECRUIT WOMEN INTO THE CARPENTERS UNION.
WE HAVE A FOUR-YEAR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
SO WOMEN CAN COME IN FROM OTHER
FIELDS AND GET FULLY TRAINED, START WORKING ON THE JOB,
GETTING TRAINED ON THE JOB AND THEN GO TO TRAINING WITH US AND
LEARN ALL THE SKILL OF BECOMING A CARPENTER.
I'M ALSO ABLE TO SOMETIMES RECRUIT WOMEN WHO ARE WORKING ON
UNION AS A CARPENTER ALREADY WHO DMOM AS A JOURNEY MAN CARPENTER.
AND I ALSO WORK TO GET MORE WORK FOR THE CAR TEN PERCENT UNION
AND FOR THE WOMEN THAT WE'RE RECRUITING.
SO IT'S GETTING MORE OWNERS OF CONSTRUCTION WORK TO REQUIRE
DIVERSITY OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT THEY'RE RUNNING.
SOMETIMES THAT THEN HELPS OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE THAT
WOMEN GET A FAIR SHAKE.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW INDICATION THEIR SKILLS AND
SHOWCASE THAT THEY CAN DO THIS WORK.
>> WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE AS FAR AS JOBS RIGHT
NOW FOR WOMEN?
>> ALL THE SAME OPPORTNITIES AS FOR MEN.
SO CONSTRUCTION IS A COMPLICATED BUSINESS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT
WE SAY FROM FOUNDATION TO FINISH.
AND WHATEVER YOU LIKE TO DO IS WHAT YOU CAN DO.
WE DO THE FOUNDATION OF A BUILDING, YOU'RE DOING THE
CONCRETE WORK, YOU GO TO THE FRAMING, THE DRY WALL, THE
FINISH, THE CEILINGS, CABINETS AND WINDOWS AND ALL THAT STUFF.
WHAT HAPPENS IS THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME INTO THE
PROGRAM THROUGH OUR APPRENTICESHIP FACILITY IN
MILBURY, THEY START TO CHOOSE THEIR PATH.
AND IN FOUR YEARS THEY'VE LEARNED ALL THE AS RESPECTS OF
CONSTRUCTION AND THEY SAY THIS WHAT IS I LIKE BEST.
>> TELL US SOME OF THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL
BUSINESSES.
I KNOW MGM IS ONE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO COLLEGES AS WELL.
TELL US ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS.
>> SURE.
SO THE STATE SET GOALS UNDER DUVAL PATRICK FOR A PERCENTAGE
OF THE WORK HOURS TO GO TO WOMEN AND ALSO PEOPLE OF COLOR TO WORK
TO OPEN UP THE INDUSTRY TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PEOPLE.
SO THE STATE GAMING COMMISSION, WHEN THEY WERE DOING THE
LICENSING PROCESSION FOR THE CASINO SAID THAT THIS WAS
IMPORTANT TO THEM, AND MGM FOLLOWED SUIT AND SET
REQUIREMENTS OF 6.9% OF THE WORK HOURS AS A FLOOR, AS A MINIMUM,
TO GO TO WOMEN, 15.3% WORK HOURS FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND 8% WORK
HOURS FOR VETERANS.
IF IT'S A WOMAN OF COLOR SHE GETS COUNTED IN BOTH CATEGORIES
FOR THE CONTRACTORS.
SO THEY REQUIRE, THIS THEY INFORMED AND
EDUCATED CONTRACTORS ON IT SO THEY KNEW TO COME IN WITH
DIVERSE WORK CREWS.
AND THAT'S OPENED UP A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OPPORTUNITY
ON THAT JOB.
U. MASS ALSO DOES IT UP AT U. MASS AMHERST, THE U. MASS
BUILDING AUTHORITY HAS SIMILAR GOALS FOR THEIR WORK, SAME
NUMBERS, THOUGH THEY DON'T TRACK THAT TEND, THEY DO IT FOR WOMEN
AND PEOPLE OF COLOR.
SO THAT'S CREATED OPPORTUNITY ON THOSE JOBS AS WELL.
TYPICALLY ON A PRIVATE JOB CONSTRUCTION SITE YOU MIGHT FIND
NO WOMEN OR ONE OR TWO OR THREE, TRADES WOMEN ACROSS DIFFERENT
TRADES WORKING.
IT'S ISOLATING WORK WHEN YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN ON A BIG JOB
SITE, OF SAY 100 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
IT'S NOT BEEN THE CASE AT MGM AND U. MASS WHERE THERE'S BEEN
THESE OPPORTUNITIES CREATED.
>> I HAVE A TEEN-AGE DAUGHTER, OKAY, AND BEFORE I SEND HER TO
YOU, RIGHT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE'S GOING TO BE TREATED
NICELY, FAIRLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE.
BUT IT HAS TO BE AWKWARD TO BE THE ONLY GAL WALKING ON, AND
INTIMIDATING, I WOULD THINK, WALKING ONTO DAY CONSTRUCTION
SITE.
HAS IT CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I CAME IN IN 1989 AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME THERE WAS THREE
WOMEN, AND IT WAS, THE INDUSTRY WASN'T LOOKING FOR WOMEN TO COME
INTO THE TRADES, THERE WAS NO THOUGHT OF HOW TO COMMINGLE.
IT'S A MUCH EASIER TIME TODAY, THOUGH IT'S STILL A LEARNING
PROCESS.
THERE'S COMPANIES THAT HAVE A SET CREW, THEY'VE BEEN MAKING
THE COMPANY KNOWN SAY CAN YOU HIRE A FEMALE TO REPLACE
SOMEBODY IS THE WAY THEY THINK ABOUT IT.
AND THE ANSWER TO US IS NO.
THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL WORK CREW, YOU HIRE ON AND FROM THAT YOU
FIND THAT, I'LL GIVE YOU A GREAT EXAMPLE, J.F.
WHITE.
THEY DID THE I-91 VIADUCT PROJECT, IT'S CLOSE TO
COMPLETION.
AND ONE OF THEIR TOP FOREMAN IS A FEMALE THAT IS 105 POUNDS.
SO SHE CAN DO IT.
SHE IS DOING IT.
THE PROBLEM IS SHE IS ISOLATED.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OTHER WOMEN OUT THERE TODAY.
BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT TWO PEOPLE REALLY TO THANK, ONE IS
MGM, BECAUSE THEY WERE THE FIRST ONES TO REALLY SAY WE'RE SERIOUS
ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS NOT A WINK AND NOD PROGRAM, AND IF YOU THINK YOU'RE
WALKING IN LIKE OH THAT'S HOW WE DID IT BEFORE, WE GOT YOU, NO,
YOU'LL BE UNPLEASANT ALY SURPRISED
THE OTHER IS THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD
THE MAYOR IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT ADDING LANGUAGE TO THE PROJECTS
THAT THE CITY CONTROLS THROUGH, WHETHER IT'S A SCHOOL OR THE NEW
POLICE STATIONS THAT ARE COMING UP.
AND THEY SAY WE WANT LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT HIRING WOMEN,
HIRING MINORITIES AND HIRING RESIDENTS.
SO THAT IS A NICE SEGUE TO THE NEXT PROJECT FOR FEMALES TO COME
TO.
AND EVENTUALLY IT WILL BE LIKE EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY IN THE
COUNTRY, RIGHT, WE'RE THE LAST ONES TO SORT OF HAVE THAT.
I THINK MAYBE THE MILITARY IS GOING THROUGH IT TOO.
>> IF YOU WERE TO SELL YOUNG WOMEN ON THIS, HOW MUCH MONEY
ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE AFTER FOUR YEARS OF THE TRAINING?
IS THIS A JOB THAT THEY CAN HAVE MORTGAGE?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
A JOURNEY LEVEL CARPENTER IN WESTERN MASS IS MAKING OVER $35
AN HOUR IN STRAIGHT WAGES.
AND THEN VERY STRONG BENEFITS OF PENSION, ANNUITY, FAMILY HEALTH
INSURANCE, COVERS NOT JUST THE INDIVIDUAL OF COURSE BUT ANY
DEPENDENTS AND SPOUSE.
SO IT'S A REALLY STRONG PACKAGE THAT, AND IT'S FOUR YEARS OF
TRAINING.
SO AS WE TALK TO STUDENTS WHO ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL RIGHT NOW AND
ARE CONSIDERING COLLEGE DEBT AND NOT SURE WHAT THEY WANT TO DO,
WE TELL THEM CONSIDER CARPENTERS COLLEGE.
YOU WILL START WORKING IMMEDIATELY WHERE YOU'RE PAIRED
UP WITH A SKILLED CARPENTER ON THE JOB AND TRAINED ON THE JOB
AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR YOU'RE GOING FOUR TIMES TO
SCHOOL AND YOU DO THAT FOR FOUR YEARS,.
THE STARTING A PRENTICESHIP RATE RIGHT NOW IS A LITTLE OVER $16
FOR AN UNSKILLED CARPENTER PLUS BENEFITS.
AND THEN EVERY YEAR THERE'S AN INCREASE IN SALARY AS THEY GAIN
MORE SKILLS ON THE JOB AND THROUGH GOING TO SCHOOL.
>> NOT BAD FOR AN 18-YEAR-OLD COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.
>> WE HAVE TWO WOMEN WHO CAME IN, ONE WAS A MOM, AND SHE WAS
STRUGGLING, SHE WAS LOOKING FOR, SHE MOVED TO SPRINGFIELD BECAUSE
SHE WASN'T FINDING ENOUGH JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND SHE WAS
HOMELESS.
AND SHE HAD THE SKILLS, SHE JUST NEEDED AN OPPORTUNITY, AND SHE
IS A SUCCESS STORY WITH US.
A VETERAN CAME IN, SHE WAS OVER IN LEEDS AND MOVED INTO THE AREA
SAYING I'D LIKE TO PUT DOWN ROOTS, THE ROOTS ARE SET.
SHE IS NOW A SUCCESSFUL CARPENTER OVER AT MGM AND SHE IS
ON HER WAY TO A MIDDLE CLASS LIFE.
AND THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU CAN GET.