IBEW President Lonnie R. Stephenson (center) and his Executive Assistant Cherylan Wright (far left), pictured with the delegation from Local 3 at the IBEW Women‰Ûªs Conference.
2016 is certainly turning out to be the Year of the Woman. The women of Local 3 have not only been busy with Executive Board meetings, Examining Board tests, club presidents’ responsibilities, shop stewards’ responsibilities, negotiating contracts, and teaching apprentices, but were very busy in June attending the 2016 IBEW Women’s Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The 117-degree weather in Phoenix was not enough to keep these busy women from positively representing Local 3 at the IBEW 2016 Women’s Conference. It is always energizing and rewarding attending the IBEW Women’s Conference. Every two years, hundreds of women from around the country and Canada come together to celebrate our accomplishments and build bonds as Sisters in Solidarity. But the best part of the conference is the feeling of empowerment for where women will be going within the IBEW.
This year’s conference theme was “Herstory.” The conference began on June 21st and ran until June 24th with plenaries, workshops, and dynamic speakers throughout the IBEW and labor movement. Local 3 always has one of the biggest contingencys in attendance. Local 3 sent a delegation of 11 women this year and we were able to send even more women thanks to some affiliated clubs of Local 3 sponsoring five women to go. The Amber Light Society, The Sportsmen’s Club, Bronx Acorn and the Santiago Iglesias Educational Society all sponsored active women from within their respective clubs to attend the conference.
The conference consisted of workshops on Understanding Race/Defeating Racism, Women in the Building Trades: Policy and Progress, Proven Tips for Not Fainting at the Mic, When Everything is Wrong, But You Know It Can Be Right!, The Tools of Effective Activism, and the Relationship Between the Criminal Justice Reform and Leadership Through Effective Communication and Conflict Mediation just to name a few. The plenary sessions were also thought-
provoking. Bill Flecther (racial, labor and global justice activist and writer) gave a power session on Unifying to Win: The Challenges for Organized Labor. We had speakers who spoke on the importance of the upcoming elections and the consequences of not voting. This year we also had a Canadian Legislative Report which was extremely educational.
IBEW President Lonnie Stephenson attended his first Women’s Conference as International President and spoke about the IBEW’s commitment to women’s issues. He spoke about the New International Women’s Committee in which 11 women have been selected to work with other women around the IBEW on women’s issues. Local 3 Business Manager Christopher Erikson also spoke at the conference in his new position of Chairman of the IEC. He also chaired the 3rd District’s Caucus where women from within the 3rd District spoke on the progress the 3rd District has made in regards to women’s issues.
The delegation arrived back in New York on Saturday a bit tired but energized and ready to put our new knowledge to work in helping move Local 3 forward. We were all grateful for the opportunity to have participated in such an empowering four days and grateful for a business manager who is committed to promoting diversity, gender equality and equal opportunity both within this great local union as well as in the IBEW.
