The former candidate is one of the few female ironworkers in California

Of nearly 2500 apprentices of iron and steel registered in California70 are women. This is too small, says Rosio Campos, a single mother of two from Los Angeles County, who today works as an ironmore after finishing four years of apprenticeship.

She took a long and distorted path to her career, she said. She worked on an ambulance crew, trained and worked on preparation and design and studied criminal justice – all to win enough to support her family. She even worked at an alcohol store before finding that she liked welding in a class she had taken at Antelope Valley in Lancaster.

In addition to his class on weekdays, Rosio was allowed to practice welding there on Saturday. The local ironworkers instructor 433 Union noticed her work and eventually signed it as an apprentice. It took four more years of class work, homework, work tests and full -time certification every few months before Campos became a merchant.

Ironwork provides an abundance of creativity and enough income to support his family, says Campos, 36 years old. She plans to return to school to progress in construction.

The industry can make more information, she said, to be more accessible to women and others, traditionally ignored by the unions.

I talked to her about her career trip. Her comments were edited for length and clarity.

When did you finish the apprentice in the traveler?

The completion was in September. There were 79 people, all the boys and I was the only girl. There were other girls who started. They just dropped out of the process.

You need to really know how to manage your money (to do it through the program). And also, they don’t want to put the job to get your certificates … It’s like going to work, you have to do homework and you still have to go to the store and get your certificates. It’s a lot of work.

What are payment and benefits?

Now we start at $ 25 or $ 24 – something like that – and we supplement $ 49 in four years. We get medical, dental, visual. We have rent. We have a pension.

What types of projects have you worked?

I made windmills. I worked at Sophie Stadium (in Inglaud). There is this other stadium that we have just built (for Los Angeles Clippers), Intuit Dome. I worked there. I did modernization at Martin Luther King Hospital. The purple line underground. I am currently working in a train at Universal Studios.

I like the fact that there is a variety. If I want to find something better, if I don’t feel safe, if I don’t feel comfortable, then there is always an option to go to the next job.

How did you start in iron?

In our culture, women do not make construction. In the end, I learned about the Union when I took a small welding class and met the boys from the Union. They started telling me about it and I was like, “Well, you know, there are no women in construction.” They are like, “This is the thing: we try to put women into construction.”

It’s not like just logging in. It’s not easy … You fill the app and then you start calling companies. They must ensure that you will work for about six weeks to two months, and then they agree to sponsor you. They give you a list. I called every company and, yes, no one wants to sponsor you.

Why not? What did they say?

“We don’t think you will do it,” almost. I’m small. I am 5 feet-nothing. So they are like “Yes, it won’t work.”

In the end, I worked for a few months at the store, but not in the actual union. And then there was this great job and they had to rule it. I was already on the list and they were eventually hired directly from the applications. This is how the Union sponsors me for this great job they had.

What are you proud of the most?

I love windmills. They are the most consumed to build. Windmills are just canned foods that you have arranged. There are either three sections or five sections and then an engine that is like (the size of) a bus. It’s quite simple to arrange boxes on top of each other and then builds a cell. If the cell is already made, it can take us two or three days to build one.

Was there a time when your brevity was helpful?

Absolutely. Sometimes there are spots that we have to get to, where these big boys say, “Hey, can you enter there?” Sometimes we had to go under the cell and repair something.

Were there times when you were a woman was a disadvantage?

Women who are in trade are still very new. Many times they will look at you. You just have to prove yourself more than everyone else.

They are very concerned about lawsuits, sexual harassment, so they will rotate around you in the first few weeks until they understand … What will offend you. Many times they don’t want to talk to you because you are a woman.

What advice would you give to a woman who starts from you?

Just be professional. I like that they know they have boundaries with me, so I won’t let them be flirting or make certain comments. Just set your limits from the beginning.

Have you ever felt dangerous? What did you do?

It happened once, where I did not feel safe with the person I was working with, just because they did not the right way. In fact, I started windmills. It was definitely not safe. But I was lucky that a friend who was working there (who) was one of the higher. I was switched to a different crew and this person was eventually fired for some other dangerous things they did.

Do you plan to stick to iron?

Yes, I stick to him. I actually want to go and take more school. My plan is to complete the welding certificates I have right now. You should test again for one year after receiving your certification at LA CITY.

Then I want to go to college. I like iron, but I don’t want to do it physically for the rest of my life. So just continue my career, go to college, get a degree and stay in construction, but more in the above management. Although it is fun to train there and learn how to build things.

What is the most difficult obstacle to overcoming?

I am worried about the way people will perceive you. A person can show up on a work site and be like, “Hey, I know how to be there.” They see you as a woman and they are like, “Yes, we don’t send her in the air to do something. We will keep it on the ground. “You want to get full experience. When I do something that is a little dangerous, it should only be for a person who has to do, everyone is looking.

You have to have really thick skin, but it’s definitely worth it. There are now so many lonely mothers and we have to make the same amount of money men can make.

The financial support for this story was provided by the SMIDT Foundation and the James Irvin Foundation.