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From the March 2007 issue of $100 Plus Club News #105
A Long Journey:
From Fieldhand to "Wireman"
By Patricia Burnham-Cummings
Pat Burnham has been in touch with us in her attempt to improve the hiring hall procedures in IBEW Local 716. She is the President of "Watt Women," the women's committee of the local. She also brought to our attention this compelling autobiography, published originally in the last issue of the magazine Tradeswomen (ceased publication in the late 90s). At the time the article was written Pat was working in Las Vegas, but has since returned to Houston. We thank Tradeswomen, Inc. for their permission to excerpt from the story. Tradeswomen, Inc. are still active in the Bay Area; for more information, see their web site www.tradeswomen.org.
Straw hats under the canopy of intertwining vines, our group of women busily snipped ripe bunches of green grapes. From dawn 'til dusk, six days a week, sometimes seven, we toiled under the merciless California sun.
A mixed group of relatives and friends, this crew of Hispanic women labored ... For five summers of my teen years, we traveled and worked in various states harvesting fruits and vegetables. My mother, her two maiden sisters, and I comprised our little crew. We were migrant laborers. At times I seethed with anger and frustration for being so poor, for working so hard for so little. Poverty goes hand in hand with lack of eduction and unmarketable job skills.
Carrying heavy wooden ladders and buckets cross-strapped to our chests, we picked oranges, plums, and peaches in California, cherries in upper Michigan, hoed sugar beets in Ohio, and snapped asparagus in the long, unshaded fields of Illinois. My small income during those summers helped Mother to feed and clothe us through the winter when crops didn't grow. She and I sang, shared memories, hopes, wishes, pain and fatigue. She standing a mere four feet, 11 inches and I at five feet, we were a team.
These hardships, coupled with the fierce tenacity and courage of my mother, gave me the stamina and perseverance to make a change and pursue the IBEW apprenticeship program in 1975. Hard work and long hours did not deter me. Learning a new, well-paying union trade gave me the challenge that I needed.
Four of us, and sisters still in the union, entered the apprenticeship program of the IBEW Local 716, Houston, Texas. An attempt to apply in Galveston had been most discouraging when the two assistants in the office that day only laughed and advised me to go to Houston.
Fortunately, someone there was aware of the laws and accepted my application. Later, I was discretely informed my score on the written exam and the manual dexterity test was one of the highest ever.
During the lean construction years of the 80s, economics forced me to travel to other states for employment. Detroit, Michigan in 1985, Little Rock, Arkansas in 1986, Boston, Massachusetts in 1987. Disgusted and tired of moving my children or being separated from them, I tried my hand at the restaurant business in 1988. I was literally chief cook and bottle washer and also at home. After a year and a half, closing the doors and moving on was a relief. Relocating to San Antonio brought us closer to home again. I found employment in sales.
In 1993, I took a call from NASA (Johnson Space Center) for a female wireman through Local 716. An interesting place - I'd worked there twice before - meeting pilots, astronauts, scientists, chemists, was commonplace. Later that year, I took a job working in the traffic signal shop for the City of Houston. I was reluctant to leave NASA; however, city employment offered excellent benefits. A year and a half later I became the first female electrical inspector for the City of Houston! This was a good job for five years ... In August of 1998, my husband and I left Houston for Las Vegas. We are both currently working on the mega-resort, the Venetian, a 3,000-room luxury hotel. There will be an 800-foot canal running through the second level from end to end, and many retail stores. An Italian theme is featured and the authenticity of Venice, Italy will be closely followed....
As a member of the IBEW for 23 years, I feel fortunate to still be in the trade today. The future burns brightly and I feel more encouraged than ever before for women in the trades. Next spring we'll be back in Houston where I hope to be actively involved with Watt Women and also an instructor at the IBEW apprenticeship school.
About
the Women's Project:
purpose
and scope, available support, advisory board.
Working for change an
excerpt from our Manual for Survival for Women in Nontraditional Trades.
A long journey: from filedhand
to "wireman" by Patricia Burnham-Cummings
Union Summer Lone Star Style,
by Valerie Park
Looking for a Fire Department that looks like New York,
an article by Jane Latour in the Gotham Gazette. Click
here to go to the article.
Women firefighters struggle for first rung, an
article by Seth Stern. Click
here to go to the article.
"Live! From New York: women construction workers
in their own words." an
article by Jane Latour available from AUD, call or e-mail to order. 718-564-1114
l info@uniondemocracy.org
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