WELCOME TO PRIDE AND A PAYCHECK
Pride and a Paycheck is a free bi-monthly publication in newsletter format reaching out to tradeswomen, friends, organizations and supporters. In addition, community and government employment agencies, training programs, schools and apprenticeship programs can all benefit from subscriptions to Pride and a Paycheck. Past issues are in the Newsletter part of this site (page 2).
WHO WE ARE
Copyright 2010 Pride and A Paycheck
Pride includes resources, announcements, safety tips, photos, stories, art and poetry by the tradeswomen themselves as well as advice from advocates who have been working hard to recruit women into these high paid, great benefits careers. Construction workers, railroad engineers and shop craft workers, skilled manufacturing jobs, truck drivers and many other trades formerly considered for “men only” are featured in Pride and a Paycheck. Photographs of females performing the functions of these lucrative careers give inspiration and confidence to those women who are “thinking” about entering the blue collar skilled and semi-skilled trades.
For free email subscriptions just send your request to tradesis@aol.com. Start receiving support information and words of advice from tradeswomen who have been working in these jobs for many years. Read articles about their victories over discrimination as well as the barriers that these brave women (many times the "firsts" in a job traditionally held by men) must overcome. Yet they not only overcome these obstacles, they succeed and subsequently travel into their retirement years with promotions, great benefits and proud memories, making friends with the "good guys" on their way! Although these kinds of careers have been called “non-traditional”, these strong, proud women make it known that they are starting a NEW TRADITION! (Term coined by Boston Electrician/Poet Susan Eisenberg.)
Thirteen years ago Pride and a Paycheck began as a local San Francisco Bay Area publication, but it has since blossomed into a range of articles, poetry, art and stories of tradeswomen’s “adventures” from the entire country and beyond. Pride and a Paycheck is edited by Sue Doro (retired Machinist), author of “Blue Collar Goodbyes”, Heart Home and Hard Hats; and “Sugar String” with support from Madeline Mixer, (retired Region Nine Director, U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau).
ALSO SEE "LINKS" PAGE FOR MORE RESOURCES AND "CLICK HERE" REFERENCES. PAGES 3 AND 4 ARE UPDATED REGULARLY......
Visit page 4 (Articles/Poems/Stuff) for current announcements, events, happenings etc. This page will be updated regularly, so travel to this page as much as you want to find out what's going on and good stuff to read and do!
Anne Feeney, legendary Union Maid and Hellraiser!! entertained and educated participants with her wit and passion at the 2011 Tradeswomen conference. Anne has recovered enough from her cancer treatments to be on the road a bit singing the songs that make us want to get out there and organize!! To send well wishes to Ann, say hi on her facebook! http://www.facebook.com/annefeeney
The 2012 Women Building CA and the Nation conference has been scheduled for May 19 and 20th 2012 in Sacramento CA at the Sheraton Grand. Keep an eye on the Ca State Building and Trades Council website www.sbctc.org as well as Tradeswomen Inc. www.tradeswomen.org for more updates on this important tradeswomen annual event.
Editorial by Sue Doro, Pride and a Paycheck: This is interesting. I’ve been meaning to write something about the TV house repair etc shows actually having tradeswomen doing some of the work. I’m a fan of these shows because I like the way they depict ordinary people fixing up their homes etc. But I’ve been noticing more and more female presence and it’s not just a woman holding a flashlight for a male worker. Of course it’s inconsistent from show to show but on the whole, I like what I see. It’s as if what we tradeswomen have been trying to do for the last 40 years…get the American public’s thinking that “Of course…women can do these kinds of jobs too!” Americans love their TVs…and for good or not…we trust that what comes out of the screen is factual.
I remember when I was a kid back we didn’t have a TV until I was in high school in the 1950’s. But we believed everything that was coming through that TV tube to be fact…of course it wasn’t. But the influence of television is a topic bigger than I want to discuss right here…There was racist, sexist stuff mixed with Howdy Doodie, Leave it to Beaver and the Brady Bunch. All this has changed for the better (in most circumstances) but as far as women working in jobs formerly held by just males…it’s been a long long long time coming.
Which leads me to a neat thing…Pride and a Paycheck ‘s website is now a link on the Mike Rowe show website. This is how the show “Dirty Jobs” (Discovery Channel) is described:
“DIRTY JOBS profiles the unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable — yet vital — ways. Our brave host and apprentice Mike Rowe will introduce you to a hardworking group of men and women who overcome fear, danger and sometimes stench and overall ickiness to accomplish their daily tasks.”
The reason I like to watch "Dirty Jobs" is the respectful way that the workers along with their jobs...are depicted. The jobs are not easy and they are sometimes really dangerous. None of this is glossed over. It reminds me a bit of the old John Fromer TV show called “We Do The Work”, which has been off the air for a good many years.
So thanks to Shari Lobdell from the Mike Rowe Works website staff who got to Pride and a Paycheck’s site by typing in "Tradeswomen"…then finding Tradeswomen, Inc who had our site as a link!!! Thank you Meg Vassey , Ex. Dir. of Tradeswomen Inc. for putting Pride on their site as a link.
Shari contacted us about Pride’s inclusion on their site. It’s a big deal to all our readers and the tradeswomen organizations that are listed as resources and the “click here” stuff that we include. Being a link of the Mike Rowe site enlarges our audience immensely. There is a women in the trades section on their site that’s really good too. You can type in http://www.mikeroweworks.com/job-site/women-in-the-trades/ (THE ACTUAL "CLICK HERE" LINK IS AT THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE...Check out the whole site..it's neat.)
The times…they are a changing! And before some of you get upset with me for not mentioning that our numbers are not great enough on construction sites and other blue collar work areas: railroads, mines, docs, highways, etc. I know it, believe me. But let’s celebrate the fact that public awareness is moving in the right direction and when that happens … get out of our way!
http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2011/10/pride-and-a-paycheck-womens-guide-to-blue-collar-jobs-tradeswoman-news/ Below is what’s on the Mikeroweworks.com site but I got to it by just typing in mikeroweworks.com Pride and a Paycheck.
Pride and a Paycheck – Women’s Guide to Blue Collar Jobs & Tradeswoman News
Pride and a Paycheck is a free bi-monthly publication in newsletter format reaching out to tradeswomen, friends, organizations and supporters. In addition, community and government employment agencies, training programs, schools and apprenticeship programs can all benefit from subscriptions to Pride and a Paycheck.
Pride includes resources, announcements, safety tips, photos, stories, art and poetry by the tradeswomen themselves as well as advice from advocates who have been working hard to recruit women into these high paid, great benefits careers. Construction workers, railroad engineers and shop craft workers, skilled manufacturing jobs, truck drivers and many other trades formerly considered for “men only” are featured in Pride and a Paycheck. Photographs of females performing the functions of these lucrative careers give inspiration and confidence to those women who are “thinking” about entering the blue collar skilled and semi-skilled trades.
Visit their website to learn more – HERE
