District Council 36 – Southern California
In June 2015, IUPAT District Council 36 and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) collaborated on a summer program called Mentoring a Girl in Construction (MAGIC). The program was created to give teenage girls insight into the opportunities available for them in construction. The Painters & Allied Trades Labor Management Cooperative Initiative (LMCI) co-sponsored this event with the NAWIC to market the Finishing Trades and hopefully recruit these young women into our crafts.
The MAGIC summer camp was held at Pasadena City College in California. For one week, participants had the opportunity to learn about the countless avenues of employment available to women in the construction industry, and to experience hands-on training in basic construction skills.
General President Kenneth Rigmaiden invited Janet Pineda of Local Union 1136 (Monterey Park, California) to conduct demonstrations in drywall taping, painting and tile setting. Sister Pineda also shared her story about how she got started in the construction industry and provided an outlook for future employment in the Finishing Trades. Her presentation was so well-received that organizers in the NAWIC invited her to become a member of the organization and to participate in future MAGIC events.
“The seed has been planted and, perhaps in the future, some of the young women we met will be IUPAT members. Thank you to General President Rigmaiden and Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Grant Mitchell for inviting me to share my experience as a proud member of IUPAT District Council 36 to this young generation of women,” said Sister Pineda.