Building Equity, Building Careers: LIUNA's Commitment to Women in the Trades
We're thrilled to announce that the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) has made a transformative $20,000 sponsorship commitment to the 2026 Enlighten Women's Forum. This major investment reflects LIUNA's deep dedication to advancing women in construction—a commitment that, according to Stacy Martin, Business Manager for the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers, has been "in the fabric of who we are from the very beginning."
From Policy to Practice: Making Real Change Happen
LIUNA's support for women in the trades isn't symbolic—it's systematic. Two years ago, LIUNA leadership introduced maternity leave benefits, both pre and post-birth, ensuring women don't have to choose between their careers and their families. In Washington alone, seven members have already utilized these benefits.
But the union didn't stop there. Three years ago, at LIUNA's regional conference covering nine Western states and parts of Canada, the regional vice president challenged the council to address working conditions for women on job sites. The response? Washington LIUNA led the charge to pass first-of-its-kind sanitary facilities legislation—requiring proper bathrooms and private, lockable spaces for nursing mothers on construction sites.
"We drafted up language, and in a year, boom—first legislation of its kind passed in Washington," Martin explains. The bill passed with bipartisan support, demonstrating that when unions advocate for basic dignity and safety, everyone listens.
Women's Committees: Creating Sisterhood and Opportunity
Shortly after the legislative victory, LIUNA Washington established a District Council Women's Committee, followed by local women's committees across the region. Today, four of the six locals have "high functioning women's committees" with membership ranging from 8 to 25 women who meet regularly.
These aren't token gestures. The committees bring in legislators, successful female company owners, and industry leaders to share their experiences. They've become spaces for mentorship, advocacy, and the kind of honest conversations that drive real change. And while the committees welcome male allies and supporters, they're designed to give women the platform and voice they need.
"When they came back from Women's Build, it just sparked all these ideas," Martin recalls. The impact was so significant that the council now sponsors journey-level and apprentice-level female members to attend Women's Build annually, sending two from each local plus six staff members. "It's paying dividends everywhere."
The Numbers Tell the Story
The results speak for themselves. Two LIUNA locals in Washington now have over 20% female apprentices. Every local except one is at or above 15% female apprenticeship participation—numbers that far exceed national averages and continue climbing each year.
On the leadership side, four of six locals have female agents. Women hold positions as apprenticeship coordinators, instructors, compliance specialists, and political organizers. Aubrey Abbott from the regional office serves as co-chair of the LIUNA Women's Caucus. This isn't about celebrating a "first"—it's about normalizing women's leadership across the union.
"We drive everything here by talent," Martin says. "Gender, color, skin—none of that stuff matters. It's what are you bringing to the table that strengthens this team even more?"
Changing Lives, Changing Communities
LIUNA's approach goes beyond policy and percentages. It's about economic transformation. Through union apprenticeships that pay workers while they learn, free high-quality training through 13 dedicated facilities across the Northwest Region, and access to family-supporting careers with strong wages, benefits, and retirement security, LIUNA creates pathways that change lives.
"I saw apprentices come in—single parents—get into the apprenticeship, journey out, and then their life decisions are so much easier," Martin shares. "They purchase the house. They buy a car they can rely on. They're not stressing about putting clothes on their kids or food in the cupboard. It changes lives, changes communities."
We've seen this commitment firsthand through inspiring LIUNA members like Amber Glennon, Construction Marketing Representative with NW LECET, who has been instrumental in building the Laborers Local 252 Women's Committee, and Chelsea Fenton, a Journeywoman Laborer whose platform @thatunionlaborer has created a digital sisterhood for tradeswomen nationwide. As Martin notes, even his five daughters follow Chelsea on Instagram and keep him updated on her posts faster than he notices them himself.
A Partnership Built on Shared Values
LIUNA's $20,000 sponsorship of the Enlighten Women's Forum isn't just financial support—it's a continuation of decades of advocacy. "For me, as long as I've been in [LIUNA]—21 years—it's never been male versus female," Martin reflects. "From being out in the field to being an organizer, to running a local and the council, it's always just been us laborers working together."
This is LIUNA's first time sponsoring the Enlighten Women's Forum, but it aligns perfectly with their longstanding support for initiatives like Women's Build and Washington Women in the Trades. "This has always been part of who LIUNA has been from day one," Martin says. "We were founded originally off the people nobody wanted. And we banded together, and now we're 560,000 strong. Those original values have never wavered."
As we prepare for the 2026 Enlighten Women's Forum on March 11th at Clover Park Technical College, we're honored to partner with LIUNA—an organization that proves every day that when you invest in women, support their success, and clear the barriers in their path, everyone benefits: workers, contractors, families, and communities.
Join us at the Enlighten Women's Forum: Rooted and Rising
📅 March 11, 2026
📍 Clover Park Technical College
🤝 Proudly sponsored by LIUNA Northwest
🎟️ Register now: www.TradeEmpower.com
