Recruitment Success: Vanessa Steward, Business Agent for Local 16

By Cari Bilyeu Clark

There were very few female sheet metal workers in 1995 when Vanessa Steward of Portland, Oregon, walked into a trade show. The newlywed and new mom was looking for something different to put her hand to that would also guarantee a good wage.

“My parents were cobblers, so making patterns and creating something was not new to me,” Steward says. She had been steered toward electrical work, but did not want to be an electrician. “I had taken a sheet metal class in middle school, and when I saw the sheet metal booth, I thought, ‘That’s it!’,” she says.

Steward completed her apprenticeship training and loved the work. “I especially liked getting the opportunity to create custom products.”

One memorable job required her to make a black iron frame for a stained-glass décor piece that was installed in Las Vegas.

“Making something from nothing and putting it in the air... I loved that.”

Ambitious and dedicated, Steward rose up through journeyman to foreman, and held herself – and her co-workers – to a high standard of professionalism and courteous behavior. She feels that workplace ethic and professionalism are improved when women are on the crews.

“I saw changes in behavior,” Steward says. “If someone made an inappropriate comment, I called them out on it. I have a great long-term relationship with the men I did my apprenticeship with. Now they are in management positions, and they understand what needs to change.”

In 2013, after 18 years in the industry, Steward became an organizer for Local 16. “I worked very hard to get new signatories, as we hadn’t signed any new contractors since the 90s,” she says. “I looked to Leah Rambo from Local 28 in New York for inspiration on how to get more women into our JATC— they have been very progressive in getting women into the trade in recent years.”

According to Steward, Local 16 hired a female instructor three years ago. That was not the full extent of changing the environment. “We are educating people about harassment and negative behavior,” she says. “Everyone needs to refuse to tolerate non-inclusive behavior because we need more women and minorities in our business.”

After she became an organizer, Steward noticed there was a large dropout rate for female and minority apprentices, and she decided to turn things around.

“I checked into the stats for the past 20 years,” she says, “and out of 400 women who showed interest in the trade, 73 got into apprenticeships, but only 23 completed the program. The JATC, the union, and the contractors all realized there were issues.”

Steward went out of her way to make sure female apprentices were paired up with foremen who would mentor them, and she looked for opportunities to put them on the same job site with other women. She also made sure to spend time with female apprentices so that they could see a woman in a leadership position.

“Vanessa is a go-getter,” says Carol Duncan of General Sheet Metal in Clackamas, Oregon, who hired Steward to begin a new division. “She is a petite powerhouse. She is passionate about what she does, and she knows her stuff.”

Duncan agrees a more diverse workforce is needed. In Portland, she is involved with the Labor-Management Community Oversight Committee (LMCOC) that ensures minorities and women are represented in the workforce.

“[Steward] is able to talk to kids, and she brings them in,” Duncan says. “Once they are in training, she checks on them and is genuinely interested in them and their families.”

As an organizer, Steward was very involved with the preapprentice program to encourage young women in their career path.

Steward says having a Women’s Committee as a part of the Local is a good step to retaining female workers. “It’s important to get the contractors and the Local on board, and not create a ‘them against us’ atmosphere,” Steward says.

Local 16 members urged Steward to run for business agent, and she was elected on July 26 for a three-year term.

Although changes are coming slowly to the industry, Duncan believes they are coming.

“When you get one woman, and she starts saying good things, it attracts more women [to the industry]. Employees recruiting other employees is always the best way to get people into the business. Now, we have women whose daughters and nieces are getting interested in sheet metal work, just as we have had sons, grandsons, and nephews following in their fathers’ footsteps in the past.”

Steward also encourages women to network with other women in the trades. “The Women Build Nations conference is in Seattle this year,” she says. “Two thousand women are expected to be there, and the SMART Army is going early to do volunteer work in the community.” (For more information on the conference, go to womenbuildnations.org)

“I’d tell women considering a career in sheet metal to talk to other women in the industry. That way, they can get a realistic idea of what is expected of them when they enter the sheet metal workforce,” Steward says.

She is excited about what the future will bring. “We are seeing better growth and retention,” she says. “Our Local has great opportunities for our apprentices, and we all benefit from a diverse workplace.” •