CHRISTIE
Who are you?
I’m a mom, a daughter, a sister, and a college graduate.
Where did you graduate from and what did you graduate with?
I have a sociology degree with a minor in criminal justice from San Francisco State.
How did you get into ironworking? What made you stick with it?
I just stuck with it. Not only ironworking but the construction trades is one of the few occupations in which you have equal employment for the same work no matter what. All workers are paid on the same scale. Women aren't paid 70 or 80 cents to the dollar but equally as men! As you progress through the apprenticeship program You can get paid more and more then you graduate and you are considered journey level, the top of your game. No nepotism it just requires hard work and dedication for equal pay. The organized tier based system allows room for growth and opportunities . I love this job
Tell me more about union ironworkers.
Any trade union is based on an apprenticeship program. When you start the apprenticeship program, you are paid a percentage of the years in which that apprentice takes to graduate. My union is a 4 year, just imagine 4 years of college. When I come in as a freshmen I make 50% or $10. And then every 6 months, should you make your qualifying work hours and participate in all of your classes, they elevate you to the next value moving from 50% to 55% and so on.
Are you an active member of your union?
Yes I am the recording secretary of my local. I am currently in my third term. Each term lasts 3 years, I just got elected for my third term last month.
What was the toughest moment of your career?
My toughest moment in my career was starting off, because it’s a male dominated trade. A lot of men don’t make the trade, but they’re "really" looking for the women to fail. When the men fail they are labeled as cowards, when the females fail they didn’t expect you to pass anyways. For any job for anyone there is a lot of uncertainty. "You don’t know the culture, you don’t know who to befriend," who the stay away from, you want to make sure you have the right equipment, the right tools. There’s always that guy that wants to be a showoff, wants to call you out on things, belittle you, pick on you, and you have to deal with those things. It really gets tiring after a while, I’ve been doing this for 13 years and it really does work on you.
What was the proudest moment of your career?
Some of the moments that makes me smile is when people see and hear me. Think that i am a woman and when they hear my voice they double take and get confirmation that I am and they see how i am working side by side with the MEN hustling, lifting, welding, using tools, and instruments. They see a woman holding their own in a man's field. My proudest moment was at a job and someone got hurt. Instead of panicking and running away, I ran to the problem. It was like second nature for me, "I’m going to always run to the problem. Try my very best to solve it." The other worker, a seasoned one at that, he ran away. It wasn’t so much of a proud moment, but its a moment that told me i arrived.