OPINION: Optimizing equity is key to meeting our infrastructure goals

By LEAH RAMBO

While much has changed for the better in the building trades since my career began in 1988, there’s still a long way to go before gender and racial equity are industry norms. I speak from personal experience as a Black woman who recently retired after 30 years as a sheet metal worker and union trainer. Today, I offer a challenge to construction industry contractors, unions, project owners and workers: Do your part to make your industry safe, respectful and inclusive.

I’ve seen firsthand the economic benefits of a good union job in the trades. I was able to purchase a home in my 20s, and now, I’m able to help my parents in their aging years. But women still face significant barriers to being trained, hired and retained in the construction industry. We make up 11 percent of the industry overall but only four percent of building trades workers. Even those women who do enter the field are often steered toward less-skilled tasks that ultimately lead them to underemployment and unemployment. The bias can be insidious.

PRIORITIZING EQUITY
So what can we do? By prioritizing equity, contractors and unions can improve America’s infrastructure while bridging gender and racial gaps. This is especially important as historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure are underway across the U.S. through the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing In America” agenda. The administration has put a focus on equity in infrastructure by directing federal agencies to give preference to funding recipients who commit to developing an inclusive workforce.

With the help of actors across the construction field, we can achieve more. Infrastructure projects should set targets so women represent at least 20 percent of the project’s workers. This is not an overly ambitious goal when you consider that women now make up 47 percent of the national workforce.

INDUSTRY CULTURE
In fact, my union, the Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers, set a goal to double the number of women members at their 2019 convention. They updated their constitution to be free of gender bias. SMART also toughened penalties for bullying, hazing and harassment and hired outside parties to advise on how to remove systematic barriers for women and other underrepresented groups.

The construction industry’s culture must also change at all levels. Despite advances, many worksites continue to be hostile workplaces for women, especially women of color. This is a situation where talk is cheap and real change means holding people accountable for how they behave.

DOL WOMEN’S BUREAU
Today, I am a proud to do my part at the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, where we’re working to help make construction workplaces more inclusive and respectful for all. Our efforts include funding community organizations that tap into the experience of tradeswomen, unions and contractors to set up local equity plans. And we released an equity toolkit for stakeholders to create inclusive workplaces. We are also supporting organizations sharing information on the right to a safe workplace as part of our broader strategy to end gender-based violence and harassment at work.

Our efforts alone are not enough, however, which is why I offer my challenge to construction industry contractors, unions, project owners and workers. Consider that inclusive, respectful and safe companies and workplaces make good business sense. Research shows companies that are more diverse and inclusive post higher revenue growth. With billions in federal investments flowing into infrastructure projects, a concerted effort toward equity will help employers meet their needs for a diverse and skilled workforce to optimize their competitive edge.

(Leah Rambo is the Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.)