Hannah Ballavance is on a mission.
The drywall finisher is organizing a Women in Construction committee for local female Building Trades members. “In high school I did a couple of women-only classes they offered, which focused on different aspects of construction.”
She then went to college in carpentry, hoping to get into engineering, but having a child put that on hold.
“I was living paycheck to paycheck, and I needed something new,” she said. She moved back in with her parents, joined the Painters Union, and has been working hard for two years, expecting to journey out in May.
Being in a union has brought a lot of peace of mind. “I can provide for my kid with so many opportunities — whatever he wants to do, he has the ability to do so,” she said.
The inspiration came at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference, a national Building Trades event, in New Orleans last September. “I went to a breakout session about Building the Sisterhood on how to grow women in your community and make sure the jobsite is a healthy, happy environment for everybody. There was information about how to get involved in the union and form committees that take care of women and other minorities in your crew, so we can get the job done in a safe and respectful manner. I was sold.”
Ballavance talked to Art Hill, the CORE Committee Director for IUPAT in Duluth, and said she wanted to make a similar committee, but across all trades. “I started on it immediately, even before I came home,” she said. “We’ve had one meeting already and another one in March, but every day since then, we’ve been working on other things we can do.”
Ballavance said about 10 people attended the first meeting, and her outreach email list is growing.
Working in the union trades can be a great way for anyone to learn new skills and become self-reliant, but it takes a lot of work and support, and that can be hard, especially for single mothers, Ballavance said. “I have my parents, but for a long time I didn’t have daycare — it’s expensive and it’s hard as an apprentice to pay for it,” she said. “I want to be that person who helps the next apprentice and helps people see what the union can do for them. I want to be able to build that support system in every trade — let us help you figure out what you need to be.”
That kind of work for specific populations can help unions grow and retain talented members. “It makes us a force and makes it more known that women can do this too,” Ballavance said.
While a lot of progress has been made, Ballavance said it’s still common for women to face skepticism or even hostility on a jobsite. And while every apprentice should work hard to make a good impression, women and other minorities may face extra challenges. “On a jobsite, we’re all there to get the job done, but I’m also there to prove myself — I’m the first one there, I don’t sit down at break until everyone else does, I’m the first one up, showing that I am here to work. I want to do what you want me to do, but if you’re going to be mean about it, I’m Going to push back and make sure others don’t get treated that way.”
Working parents also face challenges, especially when jobsites are run with tight and specific schedules. Ballavance said that when he song was younger, she had to leave 30 minutes early every other Friday to drive him to visit his other parent. “And every Monday, the superintendent would say ‘you left early,’ when I had told him that, HR knew, the office knew, and the foreman knew. They were all fine with it, but I got penalized anyway. I want to make sure other people aren’t. I’m still trying to figure out a way to make that work — things happen, and flexibility can help everyone.”
Ballavance is also interested in working with organizations for outreach, meeting recently with Ecolibrium3. “I just want to get the word out that there’s a group of tradeswomen that would love to help you — finding women out there who are needing a change, talking to high school students interested in the trades.”