Welcome to the September edition of our IUPAT District Council 5 newsletter! In this edition, you will find an update from our Business Manager, Todd Springer, about union benefits and upcoming membership house visits as our Building Union Member Power (BUMP) campaign enters its next phase. 

Chad Smith, Director of Government Affairs, also provides a dispatch from last month's 41st Biennial Convention of the Alaska AFL-CIO, and Evelyn Anderson, Business Representative for Local 364, introduces us to Lucretia Guisasola, who joined the union in 2008 and has made it her mission to support future tradeswomen.  

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New Leadership, New Momentum for Alaska Labor

Last month, I had the privilege of attending the 41^st Biennial Convention of the Alaska AFL-CIO at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. It’s always a great experience visiting our union brothers and sisters from across this beautiful state, coming together in solidarity. We had an eventful few days, highlighted by the election of new leadership (including one of our own DC 5 leaders!) and a key endorsement for the upcoming midterm election.

First, we are proud to announce our endorsement of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska Governor. “JKT” is a former Democratic state legislator and ally for organized labor, serving from 2013-22 in the Alaska House of Representatives. Over a decade in office, he frequently worked across the aisle to improve the infrastructure and economy of his rural southeast Alaska district. His track record of building strong coalitions and supporting workers are big reasons why he has secured endorsements from prominent labor organizations, including ours. Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 3!

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins speaks during the 41st Biennial Convention of the Alaska AFL-CIO.  

Next up, congratulations are in order for DC 5’s own Bronson Frye, who was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Alaska AFL-CIO. You know Bronson as the Business Representative for Local 1959 and President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Southcentral Alaska. His commitment is unmatched, and we know he will thrive in this new leadership role. Thank you, Bronson, for your continued dedication to Building Union Power!

Congratulations as well to Heidi Drygas, who was elected President of the Alaska AFL-CIO, succeeding past president Joelle Hall. I’ve worked directly with Joelle on many occasions and have admired her leadership and deep political experience. We wish her the very best and look forward to building on our momentum with Heidi.

From left: Chad Smith, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, and Bronson Frye.

In other news from the convention:

• We were joined by National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Western Region staff, who emphasized just how important Alaska will be this election on the national level. DC 5 has also endorsed Independent Bill Hill for the state’s one at-large congressional seat, and Democrat Mary Peltoa for U.S. Senate.

• Members passed 12 resolutions, including support for adequate and predictable public education funding, policies to govern responsible use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and more. You can find all resolutions here.

• Finally, we committed as a movement to get engaged in “Labor 2026,” calling our members and knocking on doors to make sure we don’t leave anything on the field this election cycle.

Joelle said it best when she described advocacy as “a game of inches.” Our leadership continues to work every day grinding out every inch we can to improve the lives of our members and working families everywhere. Your support matters, and we truly couldn’t do it without you. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to talk.

The Idaho AFL-CIO is looking for volunteers for two upcoming events, and I encourage our DC 5 members in Idaho to get involved.

On Friday, Sept. 18, volunteers are needed for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance Dinner in Boise from 5 - 9:30 p.m. Then on Saturday, Oct. 3, union members will be hitting the doors in Pocatello from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. to support IBEW 449 Brother Nate Roberts in Idaho’s District 29. If you are interested, please email Sara at sara@idahoafl-cio.org. 

These are great opportunities to stand alongside our union brothers and sisters, strengthen organized labor in Idaho, and make our collective voice heard. I hope to see some of our DC 5 members out there! For more information and to sign up, reach out to Kenny at kenny@idahoafl-cio.org. 

Building a Place for Women in the Trades

For women, starting a career in construction can be intimidating. These have historically been male-dominated trades, and that’s still reflected on jobsites today. Data shows men continue to vastly outnumber women among both painters and drywall finishers, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Every day, women across our union are building successful careers, mastering their craft, and proving they belong.

Local 364’s own Lucretia Guisasola is one such member. Before joining the union, Lucretia, who lives in Tacoma, was working as a supervisor for Sears. It was a steady job, but she eventually grew tired of working nights and weekends. She wanted something where she could spend more time with her kids.

At the time, two of Lucretia’s brothers were working as tapers. She decided to give it a try, joining as an apprentice in 2008. It wasn’t always smooth in the beginning, she said. She’s been screamed at on jobsites, told she shouldn’t be there, and given menial tasks. But she was determined to prove she could do the work.

“I told myself, ‘I got this,’” she said. “I’m pretty persistent.”

Along with facing hostility, the Great Recession posed another challenge for Lucretia. Work was hard to come by, and it took her five years to finish her apprenticeship. The key, she said, was continuing to show up and focusing on her craftsmanship.

“Once you get your reputation out there and people start knowing who you are, it gets easier,” she said. “A lot of the work is just showing up.”

Today, Lucretia works with Olympic Interiors on mostly commercial buildings in Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, and around the area. She is also active in the union, serving as recording secretary for Local 364 and a member of the DC 5 Women’s Committee.

Through the committee, that involvement also extends into the community. Members help organize community events and giveaways, including diaper drives and distributing backpacks filled with school supplies. Each year proceeds from our PATCH golf tournament help fund these efforts.

The events also provide an opportunity to talk with women about careers in the trades. Lucretia said her goal is encouraging more women to consider the trades by sharing how her career has changed her life for the better.

“I tell them it’s such a great opportunity,” she said. “You get to be with your kids. You make more money, and just the benefits in general are phenomenal. I mean, I get a freaking pension! I was able to buy a house. I wouldn’t have been able to do all this when I was working at Sears.”

Part of that encouragement, Lucretia said, is showing women they don’t have to change who they are to fit in on a jobsite.

“It’s just nice to change the narrative and say, ‘Women don’t have to be manly to do construction,’” she said. “You can be a girl who likes to put on makeup and get all girlie’d up and still show up on a jobsite.”

Lucretia said she is also looking forward to this year’s Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in Houston, which has grown into the largest annual gathering of tradeswomen in the world and one of the largest gatherings of union construction professionals in North America. For Lucretia, watching the conference grow over the years has shown just how much the community of tradeswomen has grown along with it.

After nearly two decades in the union, Lucretia knows how important simply showing up can be. Now, she wants to make sure other women have someone there to support them when they do.

“That’s my objective, to make sure that females have a solid place to go instead of feeling like they’re alone,” she said.

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