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Board member urges more women in trades and raises concerns about nonunion residential work; board member responds
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Summary
A board member said more women should enter construction trades and raised concerns that Los Angeles residential construction is largely nonunion and affected by deportation pressures; Jeremy Smith responded by citing state incentives for using California apprentices and prevailing wages and by emphasizing collective bargaining's role in wage parity.
During questions following the HRCC presentation, a board member identified as Diane praised the HRCC model but pressed for greater penetration of building trades into the residential sector and better outcomes for women in the trades. "I still wish you had a higher percentage of women in the workforce," Diane said, and she added that much of the Los Angeles residential market appears nonunion and includes many Latino workers subject to current deportation pressures.
Jeremy Smith, a CWDB board member, responded that the board and state have worked to incentivize use of California apprentices and prevailing wages through legislation over the last decade. He acknowledged the need for greater female participation in the trades: "We could not agree more," Smith said, and he pointed to collective bargaining as a mechanism that results in consistent wage and benefit packages once workers reach journey status.
Smith also argued that creating job sites, pairing them with training, and using supports that keep trainees in programs (childcare stipends, tool allowances) are essential to expanding diversity and retention in the trades. No new policy or enforcement action was adopted in the meeting; the exchange ended with the board returning to other agenda items and noting that another board member was waiting on Zoom.
