Missouri to be well represented at Tradeswomen Building Bridges Delegation in London

They are among 50 delegates from North America who will represent the diversity of women working in construction at the event, which will be held June 11 to 21. The Missouri tradeswomen who will be attending include:

• Gina Walsh, deputy director of the International Insulators Union’s Labor Management and Cooperative Trust. The Insulators Local 1 retiree from St. Louis also served as a Missouri senator, representative and president of the Missouri Building Trades Council.
• Aurora Bihler, program coordinator for the Missouri Works Initiative’s Building Union Diversity (BUD) program in St. Louis and a member of Ironworkers Local 396.
• Cindy Frank, a Carpenters Local 945 retiree from Jefferson City and past president of her union.
• Kelly McCellen, a member of Operating Engineers Local 101 in Kansas City, Mo.
• Jessica Podhola, a member of Painters Local 820 in Kansas City, Mo.
• Emily Snyder, a member of IBEW Local 124 in Kansas City, Mo.

Frank and McClellen are on the delegation’s logistics team, helping to plan the event. They visited London last week.

During the delegation, tradeswomen will visit construction sites and training centers across London and will meet with tradeswomen from the United Kingdom and Europe to discuss ways to create regional tradeswomen’s networks and promote greater international solidarity among women working in construction across the globe.

Additionally, the delegation will support the community struggle to create livable, sustainable and affordable housing and construct a women’s building on the site of the former Holloway Prison, the largest women’s prison in western London until it closed in 2016.