Sisters in the Brotherhood (SIB) and the Women’s Committee at the UBC General Conventions

Per our UBC constitution, approximately 2,000 delegates and alternates, elected from their local unions, meet every five years to elect the general executive officers, vote on constitutional matters, hear industry updates, and debate policy. Convention committees, appointed by the General President, meet to address and report to the delegate body on critical issues. In 2005, General President Douglas McCarron established the UBC’s first Women’s Committee.

39th General Convention, 2005

In 2005, UBC General President Douglas McCarron appointed the first Women’s Committee (below) in the history of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. The group, all delegates elected from their local unions, met and drafted a report that was read to and approved by the delegate body. The report included ideas on how to increase the number of women in the UBC as well as the challenges faced by women carpenters and proposals for solving them.

40th General Convention, 2010

For the 2010 UBC General Convention, UBC members elected 105 women delegates and alternates (top photo, below), an increase of almost 600% over the 2000 convention.

The 13 members in the bottom photo below were appointed to the historic second Women’s Committee and reported SIB’s goals to the convention body.