Latauna Bigelow: Finding Meaning in Membership

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Latauna Bigelow

FINDING MEANING IN MEMBERSHIP

For Latauna Bigelow, a union job in sheet metal working was not promised. In 1996, Latauna was incarcerated, with no prospects and no vision for what life could be on the other side of her sentence. While serving her time, however, Latauna developed an interest in the trades. “At first, I tried a little bit of everything,” says Latauna. “After trying plumbing and a few other trades, I found HVAC, and I was hooked. I like working the sheet metal, figuring out the duct work. After a couple of years, I learned enough that I started tutoring some of the other women I was serving with while I was still a student, myself.” Once released, Latauna knew she wanted to build a future for herself in the trades. “I connected with someone I knew who told me I needed to sign with a union,” she remembers. “I knew I loved working with sheet metal and doing HVAC, so joining the sheet metal workers was just the right choice.” Soon thereafter, Latauna joined SMART Local 100’s fouryear apprenticeship program. She recalls that time going by easily. “Everyone at the union was just so helpful. They were all invested in my success. No one hesitated to give me a hand or show me the way.” Since then, Latauna’s career path has been rising steadily. “I first went to CMC Sheet Metal to start my job. Before I knew it, I was at NASA, installing plenum boxes on their building in Greenbelt.” Today, she considers herself a jack of all trades, always ready for whatever comes her way. “Right now, I’m doing a lot of what we call ‘knock knock,’ getting ductwork ready for installation. I love it,” she says. In addition to her work on the job, Latauna also is an active member in her union. “I’m a shop steward where I work,” she explains. “Officially, that means I’m like a go-between, listening to concerns that union members have on the job and seeing what things we can handle right then and there, and what things we need to bring to the main union office. A lot of the time, though, I’m a listening ear. When things on the job get hard, sometimes I’m the person other workers can come to and know that I’ll listen.” At the union hall, Latauna has another important role: conductor warden, attending all meetings and ensuring all members’ dues are in order. Although she holds two positions in the union on top of her job, Latauna finds the work rewarding. “I just love being part of this family,” she repeats time and again. As a woman in the trades, Latauna often finds herself in male-dominated environments, but to her, that hasn’t been an obstacle. In fact, she’s found her experience in the trades positive ever since she started. Still, there have been occasional challenges. “Once in a while, you meet a guy at work who just doesn’t like you, just doesn’t want you there working with the guys. But I think of interactions like that as personal problems, and I try to resolve those by talking one-on-one with the guy having the problem.” Asked about being a woman in the union, Latauna offers a slightly different answer. “In the union, that’s not an issue. We know we’re in this together.” For Latauna, the union has become a source of support, focus, and strength. “Being a part of the union has been wonderful, not just for my career, but for my life,” she notes. “I used to not know what I wanted to do with my life. I was in trouble and I ended up incarcerated. After being an

apprentice, and now being a journeyman and active union member, I have a whole new life. I can buy a house and a car, and I can take care of my mom. It’s not just that. Being involved in our union has given me a sense of purpose.” The future looks bright for this fellow SMART 100 member, who’s already thinking about what she wants to do next in her career and in the union. “Even when my body’s too tired to swing a hammer, I’ll still be here,” she says. Indeed, Latauna already is planning to teach after she retires. “I want to be able to pay it forward, pass along the gifts that my instructors gave to me, and help train the future of our trade.” “Having a union means good jobs, good benefits, being able to take care of yourself and your family,” says Latauna. “When you’re on the job and you need somewhere to turn, you can call the union and make sure that your concerns are heard. For me, the union has been a source of support. Whenever I need to talk, there’s someone there.”

I want to be able to pay it forward, pass along the gifts that my instructors gave to me, and help train the future of our trade.”