Collection Guide
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Oregon Tradeswomen, Incorporated Collection
SPC.2013.003
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Collection
source:
Chicago Women in Trades
source:
Electric Women
source:
United States. Department of Labor
source:
United States. Women's Bureau
source:
Wider Opportunities for Women, Inc.
source:
Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER)
source:
Portland Community College (Portland, Or.)
source:
Oregon. Department of Education
Creator:
Ashbrook, Connie
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2013.003
Physical Description:
28.6 Linear Feet
(sixty document cases; two record storage boxes; one oversized container)
Physical Description:
70 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1973-2022, undated
Date (bulk): 1991-2003
Abstract: The Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) collection contains correspondence, budgets, reports, clippings, newsletters, grant proposals,
conference and event materials, papers of other trades organizations, videocassettes, and other materials relating to OTI.
The bulk of the materials within this collection focus on OTI's grant funded and community based projects, and events. Materials
related to the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant primarily focus on the Portland Pathways
to Success program and contain reports, surveys, committee meeting minutes, notes, proposals, and statistics. Materials concerning
OTI's annual Women in Trades Fair include documents regarding patrons and sponsors, advertising, programs and flyers, committee
meeting minutes and notes, and budgets. In addition, other materials within this collection pertain to topics regarding training
and education programs, career opportunities for women and girls, and educational and research material concerning discrimination,
apprenticeship, and other topics regarding women in the trades. For digitized material related to all tradeswomen archives
collections please consult the
Tradeswomen Archives Project .
Language of Material:
English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
In support of the Tradeswomen Archives project at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) initiated by Dr. Vivian
Price, Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Constance Ashbrook donated materials in 2013 regarding women in trades
and the activities of the Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
The Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) collection (1973-2020, undated; bulk 1991-2003) comprises correspondence, financial documents,
budgets, reports, clippings, newsletters, grant proposals, project proposals and drafts, conference and event materials, newsletters
and papers of other trades organizations, videocassettes, and other materials relating to OTI. The Papers of Oregon Tradeswomen,
Inc. series contains newsletters and materials relating to general administrative matters of OTI. The Career Development in
The Trades series consists of documents related to grant-funded and community based projects, grant proposals, school and
education programs and projects, conferences, events, and workshops, employment opportunities, and educational and research
materials. The Tradeswomen Organizations and Related Groups series contains flyers, brochures, newsletters, reports, and other
materials from other tradeswomen organizations, unions, and associations. The Media and Ephemera series consists of clippings,
video cassettes, and t-shirts that focus on events, training, and educational programs sponsored by a variety of trades organizations.
Some of the materials prior to 1999 may refer to Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) as Oregon Tradeswomen Network.
For related collections please consult: Lynn Shaw Collection; Pat Williams Collection; Vivian Price Collection; Madeline Mixer
Collection; Ronnie Sandler Collection; Kelly Baar Collection; Jane Templin Collection; and Molly Martin Collection. For digitized
material related to all tradeswomen archives collections please consult the
Tradeswomen Archives Project .
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. History
While attending a national conference for women in the building trades in 1989, elevator constructor Connie Ashbrook along
with three other tradeswomen- two carpenters and an operating engineer, came up with the idea to form Oregon Tradeswomen Network
with the objective to assist, support, and provide advocacy for women who work in trades in areas such as mentorship, education,
and leadership. Incorporated in 1991, in its earliest days, Oregon Tradeswomen Network acted as a support group that held
monthly meetings for tradeswomen to gather and discuss their thoughts and issues. In 1996 founding member Connie Ashbrook
was named Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen Network. Under her direction, she started seeking out ways in which Oregon
Tradeswomen Network could create and promote opportunities for women in the trades. With the help of grants funded by the
U.S. Department of Labor and the Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Tradeswomen Network began developing more programs
and projects that expanded their focus from networking to include education, training, and employment opportunities in building
trades for girls and young women. In 1992, Oregon Tradeswomen Network formed The Women in Trades Fair- a one day event featuring
exhibits, activities, and workshops dedicated to women and girls. The purpose of the Women in Trades Fair is to increase diversity
and the overall number of women working in non-traditional career fields and educate them to the possibility of a future career
in trades. What started out as a one day event has now extended into a three day event with days dedicated to middle school
girls, high school girls, and women. In 2013, close to 2,000 women and girls attended or participated in the Women in Trades
Fair.
In 1998, Oregon Tradeswomen Network founded the Portland Pathways to Success program as a way to assist low-income women through
educating them about high-paying careers in construction, building, mechanical, technical, and utility trades. Throughout
the years, the Pathways to Success program has offered a variety of opportunities to help prepare women for non-traditional
careers, such as assisting women with developing career goals and seeking employment opportunities, mentoring, career planning,
offering pre-apprenticeship training classes, and offering technical assistance to employers and apprenticeship programs in
order to recruit, hire, and retain women. Along with Pathways to Success, OTI currently offers two other programs. The Building
Girls program is geared towards assisting young women by offering basic and hands-on construction skills and safety with tools
through a summer camp, work-crew program, and workshops. The Tradeswomen Organized for Outreach, Leadership and Support (T.O.O.L.S)
program promotes activism and leadership to give tradeswomen the skills to create a safer and more valuable work environment.
The featured event of the T.O.O.L.S. program sponsored with the Labor Education Research Center at University of Oregon provides
workshops, activities, and networking opportunities to encourage women to become effective leaders in their unions, companies,
and work spaces.
In 1999, Oregon Tradeswomen Network was reorganized as Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) - a 501 (c) (3) non-profit. Since its
inception, OTI has introduced and mentored thousands of women and girls to training and career opportunities in the trades
and apprenticeship programs, educated teachers in regards to skilled trades, and encouraged employers within trade industries
to hire women. As of 2013, OTI continues to be a leader in advocating for women in trades with 12 staff members, a board of
directors, and over 400 members.
This collection is arranged into four series and ten sub-series. The series and sub-series arrangement is as follows:
- Series I. Papers of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., 1991-2005, undated
- Sub-series a. Organizational Papers, 1991-2005, undated
- Sub-series b. Publications, 1993-2000
- Series II. Career Development in the Trades, 1973-2009; bulk 1993-2003
- Sub-series a. Grants Funded and Community Based Projects, 1973-2009, undated; bulk 1993-2003
- Sub-series b. School and Education Programs and Projects, 1993-2009, undated; bulk 1994-1999
- Sub-series c. Events, Workshops, and Conferences, 1991-2008, undated; bulk 1996-2002
- Sub-series d. Employment Opportunities, 1997-2005; undated
- Sub-series e. Educational and Research Materials, 1976-2008, undated; 1988-2003
- Series III. Tradeswomen Organizations and Related Groups, 1989-2008, undated; bulk 1992-2003
- Series IV. Media and Artifacts, 1989-2006, undated; bulk 1990-2003
- Sub-series a. Clippings, 1995-2006, undated
- Sub-series b. Moving Images, 1990-2004, undated
- Sub-series c. T-Shirts, 1989-1998, undated
Collection was processed by Karen Clemons, 2014; and Allison Wall 2022.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Apprenticeship programs -- United States
Building trades -- United States
Career development -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Career development -- Planning
Career development -- Sex differences
Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- United States
Diversity in the workplace
Gender and education
Gender and work
Labor union members -- United States
Occupational training for women
Sex discrimination in employment
Women in the labor movement
Chicago (Ill.)
New York (N.Y.)
Portland (Or.)
Long Beach (Calif.)
Washington (D.C.)
Chicago Women in Trades
Electric Women
United States. Department of Labor
United States. Women's Bureau
Wider Opportunities for Women, Inc.
Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER)
Portland Community College (Portland, Or.)
Oregon. Department of Education