Skip to main content

Take Action!

Actions You Can Take Now

Contact your senators and representatives and urge them to fight for racial equity, gender justice, and workplace safety within the trades. Chicago Women in Trades is committed to standing up against the attacks on workforce equity, and we continue to support our tradeswomen in this fight!

As of February 26, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a destructive budget on a narrow 217-215 vote, which included dramatic cuts to critical health, education, and job training programs. We need to generate calls to our U.S. senators and ask them to oppose these harmful cuts and support our tradeswomen community! Find out how to contact your senator below.

Call or email your members of Congress using the instructions below.

Call Congress

Call Instructions for U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representatives

  1. Find both your U.S. senators and representatives using this link. 
  2. Your senators and representatives will have their office phone numbers listed on that page. 
  3. Call those phone numbers and read the script below. Please personalize with your name, zip code or neighborhood, trade, and local union number or worksite. You can share a personal story if you’d like. Try calling at least 3 times until you reach someone and read the script. 
  4. If no one answers, leave a voicemail by reading the script. 
  5. Encourage your union leaders and coworkers to make the calls too.
Find members in U.S. Congress

Advocacy Call Script for U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representatives

My name is [YOUR FIRST + LAST NAME] and I am a constituent of [SENATOR’S/REPRESENTATIVE’S NAME] living in [name zip code and/or neighborhood]. I am calling about attacks on gender equity within the trades through budget and policy actions. As a [name your trade] with [your local union number and/or workplace], I am very concerned about attacks on crucial anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunity policies, as well as possible funding cuts for critical services.

In the current FY2025 budget negotiations, you must protect funding for offices and grants that remove unfair barriers, specifically the Women’s Bureau and its Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant, which allows women to enter and lead in high-paying industries dominated by men.

In addition, proposed budget cuts for vital services threaten the well-being of workers and their families. You must protect Medicaid, SNAP, and other safety net programs in any budget negotiations. 

Federal budget threats and policy efforts to undermine DEI put my job, safety, and future at risk. These actions are a direct attack on racial equity, gender justice, anti-discrimination programs, and workplace safety within our industry. I urge you to fight back against these attacks and ensure that good, trade jobs are available to all, and that all worksites are safe and welcoming.

Email Congress

The current federal budget expires on March 14th, and keeping the government running will likely require a bipartisan agreement.

Email Congress to demand a budget deal that protects vital programs, including the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupation (WANTO) grant funded through the Women’s Bureau, and vital safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP.

Urge members of Congress to fight back against federal initiatives that dismantle worker rights and put tradeswomen at risk of discrimination and unsafe working conditions.

Let’s Break the Concrete Floor.

Follow Us On Socials

Follow Our Work