Continuing our special Martin Luther King Jr. episode, America’s Work Force Union Podcast welcomed Sylvester Taylor, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) and 34-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 in St. Louis. Taylor shared his experience and journey in the trades and how the union has led him to be a leader in the IBEW’s efforts to improve diversity and inclusion.

Taylor's career began in an unexpected place—a hotel front desk. Struggling to make ends meet, he was inspired by his uncle, a successful IBEW member, to pursue a career in the trades. Despite initial rejections, Taylor's persistence paid off, and he eventually joined the IBEW, marking the start of his journey. His leadership roles within the union, his election to the Missouri House of Representatives and helping to co-found Local 1’s branch of the EWMC underscore his commitment to advocacy and change.

Taylor's experience in the IBEW has been transformative, not just for him but for the communities he serves. He emphasized the importance of opportunity. By providing a new path to the trades for minority and other underrepresented workers, they are provided the opportunity to improve their lives and make a difference. His work in diversity and inclusion aims to ensure that underserved communities have access to the trades, which he sees as a pathway to the middle class.

As an apprenticeship ambassador under the Biden administration, Taylor's efforts have led to significant increases in diversity within IBEW apprenticeship programs. Some of the classes now boast over 30 percent representation from minority groups. Taylor said changing the landscape of diversity in the trades will take time. He stressed the importance of persistence and the need for continuous effort, noting that progress is being made, albeit slowly.

Listen to the full episode of America's Workforce to learn more about Taylor's efforts and the impact of diversity in the trades.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Sylvester Taylor on Diversity in Trades: A Pathway to Opportunity

SUBSCRIBE ON:

AFSCME President Saunders on the lessons from Dr. King's Legacy

Sylvester Taylor on Diversity in Trades: A Pathway to Opportunity

The American Legion's response to the Los Angeles wildfires

RECENT EPISODES

AFSCME President Saunders on the lessons from Dr. King's Legacy

Sylvester Taylor on Diversity in Trades: A Pathway to Opportunity

The American Legion's response to the Los Angeles wildfires

SUBSCRIBE

NEWSLETTER