Tradeswomen celebrate ‘Women in Construction Week’
ABOVE left: Cleveland Tradeswomen celebrated Women in Construction Week with a dinner on March 7. About 100 tradeswomen attended the annual event. ABOVE right: Cleveland tradeswomen were honored during the Women in Construction Week dinner. Tradeswomen, including members of the Greater Cleveland Council of Tradeswomen, enjoyed an evening of sisterhood and a good meal at the Pipefitters Local 120 Union Hall.
More than 100 Cleveland-area tradeswomen celebrated Women in Construction Week by gathering for an annual dinner.
The Greater Cleveland Council of Tradeswomen hosted the annual tradeswomen dinner on March 7 at the Pipefitters Local 120 Union Hall to mark the end of Women in Construction Week.
The event honored the region’s tradeswomen and showed gratitude for their contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry.
The dinner began at 4:30 p.m., offering tradeswomen the convenience of arriving straight after work. There was time to mingle before they enjoyed a meal of pasta and salad.
“This year’s attendance exceeded my expectations,” said Tradeswoman Council President Doreen Cannon.
The inaugural dinner in 2023 was attended by about 65 guests, while last year’s event saw attendance increase to around 85. Both events were hosted by the Cleveland Tradeswomen Committee, which in late 2024 became a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization and changed its name to the Greater Cleveland Council of Tradeswomen.
Emma Varner, IBEW Local 38 member and GCCT Vice President, was happy to see the event grow.
“These events offer a sense of community so it’s nice to have that common ground with other women in more than just having the same job,” Varner said, adding that there was a
good mix of journeymen and apprentices this year.
“There’s women who represent all aspects of what you can achieve in the trades,” said Varner. “You’re meeting women who aren’t doing the same thing, you’re meeting women who are breaking barriers.”
Sara Justice, a 13-year IBEW Local 38 member, expressed her gratitude for the time and effort the Tradeswomen Council puts into these events.
“Different groups are being created from different Locals and those groups come together to form events like this,” she said. “The more Locals hold events like this, the more word is getting out and the bigger the events will be.”
The record-setting number of tradeswomen at the dinner enjoyed a lively evening, that allowed attendees to catch up and share stories.
“There’s always been a really strong community of construction women in Cleveland,” IBEW Local 38 member Tina Goebel noted.
Besides the pasta, the event featured a raffle with the chance to win quilts, prizes from Milwaukee Tool and a grand prize of $750.
Carpenters Local 373 member Sue Foxen made two quilts comprised of t-shirts donated by tradeswomen from different Local Unions. Each quilt took over 100 hours to make.
Foxen was in the first Hard Hatted Women class 35 years ago. The class introduced her to the Carpenters Union, where she became the first female member of Local 373.
“It’s important to have a diverse workforce and I see more diversity every year, which makes me optimistic about the future,” IBEW Local 38 member Kate White said.
Cannon hopes events like the annual dinner will help get the word out to other women about the benefits of joining the trades.
“The more women we get in construction, the better it will be, the more common it will be and the more role models we will have,” Cannon said. “A lot of women don’t realize the great opportunities the trades offer.”
As of 2023, women make up about 47 percent of the workforce, but women make up about only 4 percent of the building trades.
“These events are beneficial because (of the) sisterhood and being able to connect with other women is important,” Varner said.