By Beth Berendsen

In an exciting development that creates greater economic opportunities for all Chicagoans, Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33), the champion and chief sponsor, introduced the Chicago Construction Workforce Equity Ordinance and garnered 14 co-sponsors at the City Council Meeting on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

If passed, the ordinance will create mechanisms for community oversight of existing programs that incentivize City contractors to hire women and people of color on City of Chicago construction projects, ensure greater transparency and enforcement from the Department of Procurement Services, and open the doors to more funding for key supportive services that remove barriers for workers.

“I am proud to stand in support of working women, especially in workplaces where women continue to experience discrimination. It is beyond time that the women of Chicago are respected in the building trades,” said Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez. “I hope that in a time where protections for all workers are under attack, this ordinance will advance the City of Chicago’s commitment to protecting the working people who make our city a beautiful place to call home.”

The timing of these policy fixes is critical. Recent data retrieved from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the years 2023 to 2024 shows that approximately 6% of work hours on City-managed construction projects are performed by women, and fewer than 12% are performed by African Americans. Even among contractors fined for failing to meet workforce provisions, 27% did not commit to hiring any women on their projects.

At the same time, the Trump Administration has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with threats and funding cuts, sending a regressive and harmful message to contractors, impacting tradeswomen’s and tradespeople of color’s ability to find work and feel safe on their job sites.

“Tradeswomen and tradespeople of color have been waiting for the City of Chicago to take action to support us gaining access to jobs and providing safe, respectful worksites,” said Kina McAfee, assistant coordinator for the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council’s Apprenticeship and Training Program and board member with Chicago Women in Trades. “I’m grateful for the leadership in the City Council and encourage them to move quickly to implement additional enforcement, oversight, and transparency on city-managed construction projects. This is the start of the city investing in its own residents.”

The ordinance is the culmination of several years of work by Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT), our Policy Committee, and our Chicago Construction Workforce Equity Coalition partners, including the Chicago Jobs Council, Women Employed, the Chicago Urban League, Community Assistance Programs, and our longtime collaborators, the Shriver Center on Poverty Law and Revolution Workshop.

“We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history,” said Manny Rodriguez, founder and executive director of Revolution Workshop. “We have allowed hatred and bigotry to convince us that DEI is a bad thing and that diversity makes us weak. I am grateful to the leaders in the City Council who have rejected this painful rhetoric and have shown that Chicago will continue to be a place that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. This ordinance is only the first step in actually creating a more equitable and just construction sector for women and people of color.”

CWIT and the Coalition are focused on moving forward with a hearing and vote of the Contracting Oversight and Equity Committee in the fall, followed by a vote by the full 50-person council later this year. (Read the language and see the growing list of co-sponsors on the City Clerk’s site.)

Take action

We need the advocacy of our community, industry partners, and allies to move this forward!
Take action today to tell your alderperson to support the Chicago Construction Workforce Equity Ordinance.