Members of the Colorado Tradeswomen, a women’s committee founded in Denver, volunteered at Family Tree, a non-profit human services agency providing innovative life-changing services designed to end child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness in Wheat Ridge, Colo. 

The Colorado Tradeswomen gathered to volunteer at this nonprofit services agency, sanding and repainting closets, assembling furniture and organizing materials. 

“Serving at Family Tree is kicking off a commitment we made to ourselves as a women’s committee to do volunteering events every three months,” said Sarah Harkssen, an eight-year member and Campus Lead of UA Local 3.

The committee has been supported by Local 3 and UA Local 208 and is an example of how to connect the two straight-line Locals under a single UA banner. 

In September, Harkssen and her Colorado Tradeswomen sisters, Tiffany Hansen and Maria Hawthorne, from Local 3, and Local 208 member Robin Prince applied their trade skills to support Family Tree. 

For more than 30 years, this safe place has helped people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. 

The women’s committee provides hands-on support as Family Tree expands its services throughout the Denver metropolitan area. 

During the service project, the Sisters assisted with opening a new building for women and children in at-risk environments. 

“We built bunkbeds, painted walls and repaired shelving to accelerate the opening of the new building,” Hawthorne said. “Volunteering at Family Tree helped our committee connect with the community and spread awareness about available opportunities for women in the trades.”

History of Colorado Tradeswomen 

Originally, Local 3 and Local 208 had their own women’s committees but decided to merge and unite as one as the Colorado Tradeswomen. 

The Colorado Tradeswomen has been actively supporting the local community since 2018 after members were inspired by their experiences volunteering at a women’s shelter during a previous Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference. 

Additionally, Local 3 Sisters Terri Murphy, Hathorne and Harkssen volunteered at the Ascension Place of Haven Housing in Minneapolis, Minn., during the 2019 TWBN Conference. 

“From fixing plumbing issues to painting and completing repairs at the shelter, we were inspired to assist the community more often,” Harkssen said. “Therefore, our public service continued by serving dinner at Angelica Willage, an intentional community and aiding in picking up litter in Denver as an organized effort.”  

Eventually, the Colorado Tradewomen grew with members from other trades, such as sheet metal workers, carpenters and electricians. The Colorado Tradeswomen affiliates include Local 3, Local 208, Local 58 and Local 145. 

The Colorado Tradeswomen currently has 10 members who attend regularly, with some participating virtually. 

“Our mission is all about uplifting other women, recruiting more Sisters and retaining more women in the trades,” Harkssen said. 

Not only does the committee promote bridges between other Sisters and Locals, but it also publicizes the trades within the community. 

“Volunteering gives us an opportunity to promote both the trades and the UA,” Hawthorne said. “The fact that the public sees us doing hands-on, honorary work by putting stuff together in a building justifies that the trades are a reasonable career to consider.” 

With the help of Local 208 Business Manager Gary Arnold and former Local 3 Business Manager Sean Wyatt, the Colorado Tradeswomen hit the ground running. 

The business managers showed their support through advertising on social media, funding activities, scheduling yearly recruitment events, attending TWBN and providing material resources such as banners and shirts. 

The committee receives additional support and encouragement from other UA Leadership, such as Local 3 Training Coordinator Johnnie Norris and current Local 3 Business Manager Sonny Welch. 

“Having leadership involved is great because their attendance has been a huge reality check of the things that women have to address while working in the trades, which may have been unforeseen,” Hawthorne said. “I know the response we had last year was that the experience of attending the women’s committee events has been eye-opening.” 

Members of Plumbers, Steamfitters and HVACR Service Technicians Local 342 support two food banks, one for Alameda County and the other for Contra Costa and Solano counties. 

Once a month, volunteers from Local 342 participate in various roles to support these local food banks. These volunteers are organized through Local 342’s Work Preservation Committee. 

Local 342 Business Manager Ché Timmons said a group of 20 people between the two counties donate their time on a regular basis. 

Mike Harteau, a retired Local 342 plumber, leads the volunteer group for the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and Annie Blevins, a Local 342 journeyman, leads the group of volunteers for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 

“We provide fresh food and lots of canned food,” Blevins said. “The food bank will drive to and set up in different neighborhoods on certain days and give out fresh food but you can also go to the food bank and get boxes of non-perishables, so a lot of the work we do is to separate the non-perishable food and bag up the fresh food. For every dollar, they turn it into two meals.”

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano distributes 2.7 million meals monthly, partners with 260 local non-profits, rescues 7.5 million pounds of food waste annually, feeds its neighbors seven days a week and provides 65 percent of the nourishment through produce, proteins and dairy products. 

In July, 13 Brothers and Sisters from Local 342 volunteered at the Alameda County Fair Feed the Need Food Drive, where 32 bins of non-perishable food were collected. 

Those 32 bins held 18,438 pounds of food, making an estimated 15,365 meals to feed their neighbors. 

As a recovering addict with 28 years of sobriety, Blevins is strongly committed to volunteer work. 

“There was a time in my life, even when I wasn’t making bad choices, and even when I first got clean, I utilized that food bank, so it’s close to my heart because it kept my kids fed,” Blevins said. “Even after I got clean, it was still a struggle trying to get my life together.” 

For Blevins, joining the UA was life-changing as it allowed her to support her family independently. 

“It’s changed my life,” she said. “I have met people who are truly my family.”

Both the food bank and the UA have significantly impacted Blevins’ life, so when Local 342 leadership asked her to volunteer for the food bank, she felt like it was fate. 

“To me, it was kismet,” Blevins said. “We have a lot of other committees, so when they approached me to ask if I was interested, they had no idea how close it was to my heart.” 

Work Preservation Committee 

Blevins actively recruits volunteers for the Work Preservation Committee to foster a sense of community and improve retention, particularly among women in the trades. 

“I’ve been reaching out to apprentices because there are not a lot of committees apprentices can be on, but the Work Preservation Committee is one they can be on,” she said. “I don’t only ask the Sisters, but I know from being a woman in the trades that getting on a committee will help them connect with other members, and I feel like it would help with retention.” 

Joining the Election Committee as an apprentice helped her build connections with her Local 342 Brothers and Sisters and gave her a sense of belonging. 

In addition to the Work Preservation Committee, Blevins is running for the Executive Board and is actively organizing events for the women of Local 342. These events help promote mentoring and networking and build connections among the women. 

“Being a woman in the UA is tough, especially in the steamfitting and industrial industry,” Timmons said. “Annie is a really good character and a good person. She does a lot for us and is really involved in the Local.”

In April 2024, the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) returned to Lowndes County, Ala., for the third consecutive year for the IWSH Community Plumbing Challenge (CPC). 

The challenge aims to drive change in a region that has suffered from inadequate sanitation for decades. 

Lowndes County is one of the poorest counties in the country based on per capita income in the Black Belt Region. 

The term “Black Belt” refers to a region historically characterized by its dark, fertile soil. 

Jed Scheuermann, IWSH North America Program Director and UA Local 290 member said Lowndes County doesn’t have a municipal wastewater treatment facility, making conventional septic systems generally impossible to install. 

“Most people straight pipe the sewage from their homes into their backyards, creating cesspools of sewage,” Scheuermann said. “Among the highest incidences of disease and infections caused by untreated sewage in the world are in Africa, Asia, South America and Lowndes County.” 

Many UA Locals in Alabama and the South Central Pipe Trades (SCPT) have been indispensable to IWSH’s CPCs. 

For this year’s challenge, IWSH team members were joined by Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 52, Montgomery, Ala., Business Agent Jim “Jimbo” Thomas and members Pete Wingard and Matt Owens. 

“Local 52 has gone above and beyond the call to help us,” Scheuermann said. 

IWSH partnered with the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) to identify homes needing sewage disposal systems and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures. 

Local 52 directly impacts residents’ well-being 

This year, Local 52 members repaired plumbing systems and installed high-efficiency plumbing fixtures in five homes, directly impacting the residents’ health and well-being. 

“Their plumbing systems are terrible,” Local 52 Business Manager John Paul Smith said. “Some are drained out into a hole in the ground covered with tin or plywood. It’s the type of soil that will not percolate–they call it prairie mud. We’ve put more efficient fixtures in that don’t use as much water, such as water-efficient toilets, bathtubs and faucets.”

“We fixed things that hadn’t been fixed in years,” Thomas said. “We also went inside their laundry rooms and fixed the washing machines. They didn’t have the right plumbing to begin with and some of it was awful.” 

This work is important to the residents’ safety, and Thomas noted that the residents are grateful and Local 52 enjoys doing the work. 

“We’re helping people who can’t afford to do it and it makes us feel good,” Thomas said. “It’s not safe to have sewage running out from underneath your home. Their septic tanks aren’t any good. These people need the help and they’ve needed it for a long time.” 

Scheuermann said any life safety hazard they come across is immediately addressed. 

“The guys from Local 52 have been phenomenal,” Scheuermann said. “Every single CPC we’ve done in Lowndes County, they’ve sent volunteers. Pete Wingard has been on everyone. After we left, one of the residents called back and said her water heater sprung a leak. I called John Paul Smith and they went back and installed a new one for us. It’s the heart of the UA.”

Sisters of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, in conjunction with Missouri Women in the Trades (MOWIT),  gave back to their community by donating their time and skills during phase three of a four-phase renovation at Baker House. 

Baker House is one of three residential transitional housing options available to Keyway Center for Diversion and Reentry participants. 

Keyway Center’s mission is to advocate for and assist women in the criminal justice system to support their successful transition to family and community. Keyway believes that access to safe, secure and affordable housing is key to a successful transition from jail or prison. 

They provide transitional housing for up to 44 participants through two apartment-style facilities: Baker House for 12 individuals and Schirmer House for 32.

Improvements to Baker House include updated plumbing and electric, drywall repair and demolition, updated cabinetry and new paint and flooring. Keyway, in partnership with MOWIT, kicked off Baker Build: Phase Three renovations with a successful plumbing workday thanks to the skilled tradeswomen of Local 562. 

Keyway aims to complete its four-year endeavor by summer of 2025. Local 562 tradeswomen, who have been involved in Baker Build since phase one, are providing their expert plumbing skills to create a safe living environment for the women at Baker House. 

“We replaced old cast iron stacks and are doing a total bathroom gut job,” said Amanda Dace, a 24-year member of Local 562. “The weekend before we came, they demoed the walls so we could get to our pipes, then we went in there and gutted it.” 

Dace and her Sisters also replaced the waterline and shower valves and will replace a water heater. They will go back in four weeks to set up the vanities and toilets and test everything.

Not only is Local 562 providing women transitioning out of prison with better living conditions, but they are demonstrating that women can pursue and have successful careers in the construction and building trades as well. 

Dace said that some years, the women who will be living in Baker House have participated in the repairs and went on to join a trade. 

“These women are really grateful,” Dace said. “In prior years, they have barbecued for us as a thank you.” 

Local 562 tradeswomen learn on the job 

Volunteering for Baker Build has been a great experience for Local 562 tradewomen. They are advancing Keyway’s mission while building connections and receiving hands-on learning. 

Apprentices, journeymen, an instructor and a Sister who recently started the Local 562 Champions Program worked on the project.  

Thank you to the 10 women involved in phase three: Amanda Dace, Keri Emmerich, Megan Evergreen, Wendi Fortel, Stephanie McClure, Maddy McVey, Jessica Purcell, Ariel Sizemore, Jayden Tricamo and Lauren Willerton. 

Dace described the positive environment and noted that this renovation gives a lot of them an opportunity to learn new skills. 

“It’s super good for all of us,” Dace said. “Everybody’s talking, joking and having a good time. Teaching and learning are big benefits for all of us. There are a couple of women who haven’t done any service work. Some of them, during their whole careers, will not see a cast iron stack replaced in a home, and some have never seen a water heater be replaced. A lot of us learn by seeing.” 

Over several weekends, Local 562 tradeswomen have contributed their time and plumbing expertise and will continue to do so until the job is complete. 

Local 562 Business Manager John O’Mara explained that Local 562 members take the initiative to do charitable work without being asked and regularly participate in various charity events, often organizing them themselves. 

“It’s pretty cool to see, once you get people involved in different organizations, how far they go with it and how much good they’re doing in their spare time,” O’Mara said. 

Local 562 is involved with several charities and is committed to showing the public the positive impact its membership has on the community. 

Family Supportive Housing provides temporary housing and supportive services to approximately 180 families every year. Its San Jose Family Shelter is the only shelter in Santa Clara County that exclusively serves single – and two-parent families with children. 

They can accommodate up to 35 families at a time for up to 90 days. The Association of Bay Area Governments has labeled 84 percent of Silicon Valley rental units unaffordable for low – or moderate-income households. 

For many who live paycheck to paycheck, Silicon Valley’s lack of affordable housing puts them out onto the streets. Emergency shelter, food, clothing, transportation, laundry and personal hygiene are some of the critical needs the shelter provides each family. 

They also provide counseling, housing and employment referrals, money management assistance, healthcare services, workshops, parenting classes and supportive services for children. 

For three years, Plumbers, Steamfitters, and HVAC-R Service Technicians Local 393, San Jose, Calif., has sponsored a monthly meal program at the San Jose Family Shelter, where members prepare, cook and serve a meal for the families. 

Erica Valentine, the Political and Communications Director for Local 393, brought her organizing and volunteer coordination expertise to the Local. This is Local 393’s most popular event and hundreds of volunteers have signed up to help, she said. 

Local 393 also provides gifts for every child and adult, as well as community learning gifts for children. 

“A lot of our community partners not only rely on but depend on us,” Local 393 Business Manager Eric Mussynski said. “When there is a shortage of volunteers during the holidays, we are at the front lines to feed the homeless, make food boxes and do whatever it takes to support our community.” 

Every year, Local 393 members vote to allocate funds to provide monthly meals for families in transition. 

Campaign for Secure Future program 

Valentine oversees Local 393’s Campaign for a Secure Future program, which requires each apprentice to complete three hours of community service per semester. 

Valentine assigns an apprentice to manage and run each event to mimic the role of a foreman on a jobsite. 

“UA Local 393’s Campaign for a Secure Future is a unique program with a three-prong approach: to give back and support the communities that we work in, to provide an opportunity for apprentices to take on leadership roles, such as a foreman at the volunteer event, which provides them the ability to manage time, sequence of work and communication skills and provide apprentices of all classifications and levels to develop solidarity,” Mussynski said. 

Ryan Jones, a 17-year member has taken on the superintendent role at the San Jose Family Shelter. 

“A lot of the apprentices are early in their careers, so they’re not necessarily going to get that chance out in the field, so this gives them a little bit of experience,” Jones said. “It’s a good bonding experience for the members as well.”

Jones hopes apprentices will continue to get involved in community service as they go on to become journeymen. He appreciates the requirement of service hours and hopes other local unions will adopt similar requirements and get involved in their communities. 

“We’re doing it with our union Brothers and Sisters outside of work, and we’re giving back, so it’s fun,” Jones said. “And we get to see the looks on the faces of the families we’re helping.” 

Other Volunteer Opportunities 

The family shelter is just one of the many ways Local 393 gives back to the community. 

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is another major community event the Local participates in every year to help raise funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. 

With roughly 100 participants, Local 393 has had the largest presence every year.

“The events we hold within our jurisdiction range from food banking to political walks to Christmas in the Park,” Mussynksi said. “Last year, we held more than 50 events, and this year, we will hold the same or more.” 

United Association General President Mark McManus recently met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and discussed infrastructure and jobs in America. 

The first question General President McManus asked Secretary Buttigieg was why the Biden Administration was able to deliver what former administrations could not.

“First of all, we have a president who keeps his promises and is serious about following through on what he says they’ll do,” Secretary Buttigieg said. 

He added that the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act received abundant support from the United Association, as well as other unions and trades.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), aka Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law by President Biden on Nov. 15, 2021. The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending, with $550 billion of that figure going toward “new” investments and programs.

As a result, a large number of UA jobs were created nationwide – both directly and indirectly – thanks to the IIJA. 

For the Biden Administration, one of the most exciting parts of rebuilding American infrastructure is the economic boost that comes from the good-paying jobs created by these projects. 

Infrastructure moving forward

General President McManus went on to praise Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden Administration for other initiatives, like the CHIPS Act, which allows big projects to be completed under union labor. This creates even more UA jobs for these megaprojects. 

He also appreciates that UA leaders have been asked to sit on various committees to help guide these projects. 

“Right now, we have UA experts who are in there helping to make sure our policies work and are safe and work for the workers who are going to have the most at stake,” Secretary Buttigieg said. 

General President McManus said that no administration in his lifetime has supported union labor the way the Biden Administration has. He then reminded Secretary Buttigieg that unions perform quality and safe work to ensure projects are completed on time. 

“The UA’s biggest blessing is its diversity and the more the UA looks like the cities they represent, the better it is for middle America,” General President McManus said. 

Secretary Buttigieg ended the conversation by expressing his appreciation for General President McManus and all UA members for the work they do every day, and for helping the Biden Administration make the Infrastructure Bill a reality.

“Most of all, thank you in advance because we are going to be turning to you to train, equip and deploy the skilled, safe workforce that’s going to get these jobs done across the country,” Secretary Buttigieg said. “I know this is no small task, but I know America is up to it because I know what your members are made of.
Watch the full interview on YouTube.

The nuclear power industry employs nearly 60,000 workers in good-paying jobs and supports hundreds of thousands of other workers. 

The Biden-Harris Administration released a statement on May 29 announcing they will continue to build on President Biden’s unprecedented goal of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035 while ensuring that consumers across the country have access to affordable, reliable electric power and maintain good-paying clean energy jobs. 

The White House also hosted a summit on May 29 about Domestic Nuclear Deployment, where they highlighted the collective progress being made across the public and private sectors. UA Local 598 Business Manager Nick Bumpaous was among those in attendance.

This historic commitment to nuclear energy has the potential to be a game-changer for clean energy and UA jobs. Under the pro-union leadership of the Biden Administration we fully expect the skilled members of the UA will be at the forefront of this vital effort.

A new generation of nuclear reactors is gaining attention from a diverse group of stakeholders. These reactors are valued for their capacity to produce clean, reliable energy, which is crucial for supporting a rapidly growing economy. This interest is propelled by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the current manufacturing boom.

The Administration acknowledges that decarbonizing our power system, responsible for a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, is a crucial challenge that demands the full extent of our nation’s expertise and ingenuity.

Under President Biden’s leadership, the Administration has implemented several measures to enhance our nation’s energy and economic security by reducing our dependence on Russian uranium for civil nuclear power. This includes building a new supply chain for nuclear fuel through various actions. 

Recognizing the importance of both the existing U.S. nuclear fleet and the continued expansion of large nuclear power plants, the U.S. is also taking steps to mitigate project risks associated with large nuclear builds and to position the U.S. industry to support an ambitious deployment target.

UA to partner with working group to further the White House’s goal

During the White House summit that Brother Bumpaous attended, the Administration announced the creation of a Nuclear Power Project Management and Delivery working group that will draw on leading experts to help identify opportunities to proactively mitigate sources of cost and schedule overrun risk. 

The working group will engage with stakeholders who will help further the Administration’s goal of delivering an efficient and cost-effective deployment of clean, reliable nuclear energy. 

Small modular and microreactors can provide resilient energy to defense installations, safeguarding against disruptions like physical or cyberattacks, extreme weather and other challenges. These initiatives will help inform regulatory and supply chain processes, paving the way for further deployment of advanced nuclear technology for clean, reliable energy at federal installations and critical infrastructure.

The Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia recently completed two new units, marking the first reactors built in the United States in over 30 years. The project involved over 9,000 construction workers, many of whom were union members, contributing to its successful completion.

The Vogtle site is now the largest source of clean power in America, with four operating nuclear reactors. 

The U.S. government will continue to take action to enable first movers to deploy advanced and innovative technologies. 

These announcements build on the actions the Administration has already taken, which include reviving existing nuclear while preserving jobs, demonstrating new nuclear technologies, streamlining licensing processes for building and expanding reactors and advancing the supply chain and workforce. 

According to the CDC, the suicide rate among construction workers is more than five times higher than the average suicide rate in the United States, with one out of every 2,000 construction workers killing themselves annually. 

The feeling of isolation can often be a silent accomplice to the epidemic of suicide, as individuals deprived of meaningful connections often find themselves grappling with depression in solitary silence. 

To address the issue of social isolation, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 286 journeyman welder Sean Miller and journeyman pipefitter Collen Farris created The Tribe. 

Local 286 experienced more than a dozen preventable deaths among its members over the last few years. These tragic losses highlighted the urgent need to address mental health within the Local. 

The Tribe’s mission is to create a sense of community and support among Local 286 members.

“We call it The Tribe because it’s not about the individual; it’s about all of us,” Miller said. 

Miller and Farris wanted to devise a solution they thought the rank-and-file members would respond to. 

“Everybody kept saying we need to do something about this, but none of the proposed solutions seemed to be working,” Miller said. “We were still losing members. The first thing that we decided we needed to do was bring the guys together. We work with a bunch of dudes, and what do dudes like? Knives. So, we decided we were going to make knives.”

The first activity Miller and Farris organized was knife making. The activity quickly became popular, growing from 10 participants to almost 40 at the next event. 

“We’ve had a lot of feedback,” Farris said. “One guy, he made a knife, and at the end of it, he said, ‘I don’t know the last time I had a good time where there were no drugs or alcohol involved. I really appreciated you guys.’”

To support the mission of the growing Tribe, Miller and Farris reached out to various individuals and organizations for assistance. 

One of the first people they enlisted was veteran member Jonathan Albritton, a great team builder who shares his wisdom about enduring hard life lessons and is a good resource for the members to talk to. 

With his help, The Tribe expanded to organized activities such as ruck marches, rock climbing, and camping. Miller said the idea behind the more strenuous activities is to create endorphins to improve mental well-being. 

“One of the things we have really leaned hard on is wilderness therapy,” Albritton said. “We ask these guys to do really hard things on their days off. The ruck marches that we do with our guys, we are working towards rucking with 70 pounds, and we’re walking for miles on uneven terrain. It’s not about how in shape you are; it’s about how hard we’re going to dig together.”

The Tribe continues to break down mental health stigma

Miller, Farris and Albritton quickly learned that when these men were being pushed to their physical breaking point, they opened up about their personal lives. 

Miller and Farris didn’t have a background in suicide prevention or mental health, so they collaborated with the Director of Suicide Prevention Policy and Services for Texas Health and Human Services and came up with an approach for the mental health aspect of the program. 

“We’re not just running around in the woods pretending we’re Robin Hood all the time,” Miller said. “We’re also trying to give real training to these guys because we are each other’s keepers.”

In the beginning, Miller and Farris funded these events out of their own pockets and provided the materials for the participants at each one of the events. 

Soon, the local union stepped in with funding to support The Tribe. Making The Tribe a successful program is a big undertaking, but the team is willing to work overtime to nurture it because they are passionate about finding a real solution for those struggling with mental health. 

“We truly believe this is much bigger than us,” Miller said. “Austin, Texas isn’t the only place facing this pandemic. It’s everywhere.” 

Miller, Farris and Albritton noted that their efforts are not only aimed at preventing suicide but also at fostering a change in attitude within their community. 

“We must have a culture change,” Farris said. “We go through something tough, and we deal with it on our own because we feel like, as men, we’re supposed to do that. But it’s not right. It doesn’t work. If it did, all of these guys wouldn’t be killing themselves.” 

Mental health is often seen as a taboo topic, leading to individuals suffering in silence. The Tribe is breaking down these barriers by fostering an environment where members can openly discuss their mental health concerns without judgment. 

The Tribe has received support from Local 286 Business Manager Chap Thorton and Training Director Joe Cooper. 

“Without them, there’s no way we could have done this,” Miller said.

Miller, Farris and Albritton have been documenting their experiences to serve as a blueprint for other Local Unions that are interested in implementing a similar program at their home Local. 

They hope to continue making a difference with The Tribe. 

If you feel encouraged to get involved or start a similar program for your Local Union, please contact Sean Miller, Collen Farris, or Jonathan Albritton at www.thetribeamh.org. 

Ladies of 798 was created in 2007 at the Pipeline Convention in Scottsdale, Ariz. 

Norma Kay Hendrix and Nicole Barnett spearheaded the idea, but Hendrix pointed out that everyone was supportive, including the men and too many spouses to count. The original team, which included men, was committed to making a difference in the lives of Local 798, Tulsa, Okla., members and the communities where they worked. 

The group’s first project was a cookbook, and they started working on making the Pipeliners Local 798 Memorial Wall, situated behind Union Hall, a reality. The Memorial Wall is a beautiful tribute to those who have lost their lives on the job or traveling to and from a job. 

The group kicked off their first volunteer projects in Angleton, Texas, on the Brazoria Interstate Gas job and they delivered their donations to the St. Thomas Ministry. 

They began to refer to their projects as “good works.”

The Ladies of 798 cookbook reads, “Our vision is to lend a helping hand and assist people in living healthier and happier lives through our investments in the communities we serve, utilizing technology, information, public forums, outreach programs and education.” 

Fast-forward to 2024, and the mission has not changed. For years, the members of Ladies of 798 have created various charity events to raise money for worthwhile causes. They have a Benefit Auction in April that takes place on Wednesday night during Steward School at the Local 798 Training Center. 

Baskets are donated by organizations and individuals, and the proceeds are divided amongst various local worthy causes. 

The 2023 Benefit Auction Charity recipients were Braydon House, Presley’s Produce, Clarke Youth Theatre Penguin Project, Harvesting Hope Recovery, Inc. and Tulsa Metro Women on Fire. 

Some of the auction proceeds also helped fund several non-profits, including Ladies of 798, MD Anderson Cancer Center and St. Judes. Ongoing drives include eyeglasses for the Lions Club, various old keys for Autism Awareness, pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, cell phones for our American Soldiers and women’s business suits for Hope Cottage. 

The Ladies of 798 are looking forward to the 2024 Benefit Auction. The 2024 recipients, which were voted on during a meeting in January, will be Clark Youth Theatre Penguin Project, Harvesting Hope Recovery, Inc., New Hope Refuge, Tulsa Metro Women on Fire and Presley’s Produce. 

The Ladies of 798 Sisterhood 

Ladies of 798 offer an opportunity for good works and create fellowship amongst the families of pipeliners near and far. 

“I love the Ladies of 798 because of what we represent, a group of ladies volunteering their time and resources for the benefit of others,” Ladies of 798 President Kelly Dick said. “I love giving back to our communities and trying to make a positive difference in someone’s life.”

Ladies of 798 Vice President Shawna Crabtree said her 798 family means the world to her and they all represent all that is good – honor, loyalty and family. 

“What I have always loved about the Ladies of 798 is that everyone comes together to fulfill a need and it doesn’t matter what the need is; Ladies of 798 do good deeds, give generously and volunteer to make sure that need is met,” Ladies of 798 Secretary Carrie Johnson said. 

Paula Harris, Ladies of 798 Treasurer, loves being a part of the Ladies of 798 because they all come together as a family and are willing to share, love and give a helping hand when and wherever needed.

Board Members Sonya Hall, Chelsi Seale, and Stephanie Gaines agree. 

Hall said the ladies who make up the Ladies of 798 are such a blessing to have as friends and she’s proud to call them her 798 family. 

“I love the Ladies of 798 because they are simply some of the best women you will ever meet. We have a shared history and friendship because of our lives on the pipeline,” Gaines said. “These ladies go out of their way to make the world around them a better place.”