Doreen Cannon, former President of Plumbers Local 55 and co-founder of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Tradeswomen Committee, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the celebration of Women in Construction Week, plus an upcoming apprenticeship fair.
Cannon told the story of how a small article in The Plain Dealer changed her career. She spent the early part of her career working in retail management before her son was born. While on maternity leave, Cannon’s mother handed her an article from The Plain Dealer about a career fair hosted by Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council. After attending the career fair, she became interested in plumbing, and decided to join Local 55.
As an apprentice, Cannon was fortunate that her husband worked second shift, so her son could be cared for in the morning and only have to attend after-school daycare. She acknowledged this is not the case for parents who work in the building trades, as most daycare providers do not open early enough for their children to be dropped off on their way to work. Thanks to the efforts of many tradeswomen across the country, some Local unions now offer childcare services.
She also discussed upcoming building trades events in Northeastern Ohio. The Cleveland Building Trades will host its first-ever Women in Construction Week event, as the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council and the Cleveland Tradeswomen Committee will host a Women in Construction Dinner on March 8. All area union tradeswomen are invited to attend the free after work dinner. On March 8, the CBCTC and Cleveland Tradeswomen Committee will host an Apprenticeship Fair on March 23 at the Pipefitters Local 120 Union Hall. Cannon explained why it is a great time to become an apprentice and urged the public to attend the event and learn all the benefits of starting a career in the union construction industry.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.