Director Chun at 2001 National Tradeswomen Conference

Shinae Chun, Director of the Women's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor addressed the National Tradeswomen Conference in Denver, Colorado, on October 12, 2001. In her speech, she outlined the President's Back to Work Relief Package designed to meet the needs of American workers after the attacks on September 11th. She also described several new initiatives undertaken at the Women's Bureau to benefit working women.

Following is a transcript of her remarks:

DENVER, CO: Thank you Jane (Lincoln) for the very kind introduction. It is certainly a pleasure to be here in Denver this evening and to join you at this very important conference. I am delighted to have this opportunity to extend my personal welcome to each of you.

There are so many people in this room who have done an outstanding job and have made a great contribution in planning this conference. I want to thank you all, especially the leadership in the Tradeswomen organizations and the Maine and Denver's Departments of Transportation who are present. I think it is great to have friends like the Federal Highway Administration to sponsor this wonderful conference. Special thanks to Ed Morris and Linda Brown.

Members of the Women's Bureau staff are here and I want to thank them for being here and acknowledge the contributions of Jackie Cooke, Women's Bureau Regional Administrator in Boston and Fran Jefferson, our Denver Regional Administrator, for helping to roll out the red carpet.

I also bring greetings from Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. We at the Department of Labor are honored to work for Secretary Chao, who, among many other things, is dedicated to addressing the issues facing today's working women. She, along with President Bush, are working tirelessly to protect American workers from economic and emotional devastation in light of the attack on September 11th.

We have lived through perhaps the darkest days our nation has ever seen, but as President Bush said the other day to a class of first-graders in New York, "One of the things that we're learning out of our sadness is what a great country this is."

We have heard so many heroic stories. We've seen it in our police officers and firemen who rushed toward danger to help others. We've seen it in construction workers who volunteered for 12-hour search-and-rescue shifts. We've seen it in the crowds that lined up to donate blood, and the contributions that poured into charities.

At the same time that we're learning just how great our country is, we are also learning what a great leader we have in our President. In this historic moment of trial, President Bush's leadership has united our country, restored our courage, and renewed our mission.

Everywhere I go, I see people intensely united �� America was never so united as she is now behind our President and behind our country.

President Bush and Secretary Chao have put together a series of benefits that will work quickly to meet the needs of American workers. To strengthen the safety net for workers during this crisis, President Bush has proposed:

�� Extending unemployment benefits to Americans whose jobs were affected by the attacks of September 11th for an additional 13 weeks;

�� Providing $3 billion in special National Emergency Grants to help displaced workers maintain health coverage, supplement their income and receive job training;

�� Encouraging workers affected by the September 11th events to take advantage of more than $6 billion in existing federal programs that provide job search, training, placement and other services, and;

�� Making $11 billion available to states to help low-income workers displaced from their jobs to receive health insurance.

The President's Back to Work Relief Package has bipartisan support.

We must do everything we can to support our fellow Americans. The Women's Bureau is also doing its part to support the Administration's priorities.

Thanks to President Bush and Secretary Chao, it has now been exactly five months ago today that I was confirmed by the Senate as the Director of the Women's Bureau. Since that time I have been busy getting new initiatives underway in support of Secretary Chao's goals. Let me share a few with you:

As we speak, our Denver office is working in collaboration with other Women's Bureau regional offices to develop an outreach project that will bring virtual conferences to working women in twenty-three states on a wide range of technology related topics.

Another outreach project based in Chicago, called GEM-SET, Girls' E-mentoring in Science, Engineering and Technology, will link 600 girls aged 13-18 with volunteer women mentors who will help them learn about careers in science, engineering, and technology.

In addition, the Bureau's On-Line Learning Demonstration project partners the Women's Bureau Region II office with the Department's Employment and Training Administration and the New Jersey Department of Labor in a 2-year collaborative effort to provide on-line learning for single mothers with school-aged children. The project, which will take place in four New Jersey counties, will test the feasibility of on-line courses versus more traditional educational settings and methods, and will prepare participants for high skilled jobs in their local communities.

This is a tough time for America in the wake of the attack on September 11th, but we are resolved. The Military Spouse Resource Center is a joint project between the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau, Employment and Training Administration, and Office of the Assistant Secretary of Policy in cooperation with the Department of Defense. This online learning tool and resource guide will help military spouses access training and placement opportunities, community resources, and the local workforce development systems.

Lastly, but not least, grants for the Women In Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations projects were awarded recently. I will have the opportunity to meet with the new grantees in a couple of weeks and share information about what works so we can continue to increase our numbers in these fields.

Closing the skills gap and helping women become competent in technology are high priorities for Secretary Chao and me, because whatever cluster of occupations you look at, technology plays a major role. You as tradeswomen are probably more aware than many others of how technology is changing the way skills trades are taught and how skilled trade jobs are accomplishing the same end result but performed in a very different manner.

The machine-tool operator or the carpenter today is more likely to insert a programmed diskette into a control module than to set measurement devices manually. Look at the controls in the new trucks and the computer skills that are necessary. Some jobs in the trades have been redesigned to require formal education in new, abstract skills such as use of programming languages. The U. S. Department of Commerce projections are that by 2006, nearly half of all U.S. workers will be employed in industries that produce or intensively use information technology, products, and services.

Great changes are occurring in the workplace, in the home and around the globe. These changes will continue to have a technological and financial impact on the way we work and the way we live.

And so, your Department of Labor and especially your Women's Bureau are working with you to provide more women with the tools they need to break into new fields of work and challenge the so-called status quo.

From carpentry to masonry, more and more women are working with their minds, as well as their hands, putting in long hours of training or retraining, and taking pride in the fact that their work is helping to build America.

As New York is rebuilt, as the down towns in many of our cities are rebuilt, as urban communities are rebuilt, as highways and infrastructures of cities and counties are updated and new ones put in place, you as tradeswomen will have a role to play.

The skilled trades may not always be the easiest career choice a woman can make. Like a stranger in a new town, there are plenty of difficulties to deal with before one can feel at home �� long hours, physical labor, forms of harassment. But, the knowledge and the skills gained are things women can develop and increase.

The pay is worthwhile as it can lead women to become more independent and financially secure. And the more women learn -- the more they can progress-- the greater their impact will be on the construction industry. Not only for themselves, but for younger women moving up through the ranks who deserve a chance as well.

I like to share a famous story about the craftsmen in Korea. About one thousand years ago, Japan invaded Korea for the first time. I don't know how many days and months they fought, but when the war was over, Japan had won. Instead of taking gold or other national treasures, they took 150 Korean craftsmen to Japan. With this 150 craftsmen, they built the finest looking Temples. I admire their appreciation for wood work, carpentry, tile making, and all skills needed in building temples, homes, and castles. Whenever I visit my sister who lives near the first temple built, I think about those craftsmen whose skills were valued more than gold. My highest compliments to you all for your contribution in preserving trades that made this country great. In light of the September 11th attack and our effort to rebuild again, your skills are needed even more.

In closing, I would like to say that I am keenly aware that your attendance at this National Tradeswomen Conference is testimony to your commitment and that of your organization.

Your knowledge and energy are essential in the Department of Labor's drive to re-skill the work force, in all its diversity. Your knowledge and energy are essential as the Women's Bureau builds partnerships in its outreach to working women, particularly in encouraging women to make the system respond to their needs.

Our objective is to ensure that every woman has the information she needs to respond to the pressures of work and family demands, to be treated fairly in the workplace, and have an equal opportunity to compete in business and job markets.

As we continue to prepare for this 21st century, let us all envision a workplace where the spirit of freedom to determine one's career field is a real choice for all Americans.

I wish each of you much success as you pursue your goals. Rest assured, the Women's Bureau will be there to help you along the way. God Bless America.