New York, NY – Dina Ball, Outstanding Apprentice of the Year for NYCDCC Local 45, is modest and a woman of few words. She makes no mention of the fact that she won the Local’s prestigious Golden Hammer Award for General Carpentry, competing against the best. But long before that, she was working two jobs and caring for her six-year-old son when she came across a program that would change her life forever.
LP: How old are you and where did you grow up?
DB: I am 33 years old. I was born in Brooklyn, New York and later moved to Wilkesboro, North Carolina at 9 years old and graduated from high school there.
LP: When did you first learn about unions?
DB: I had just moved back to New York with my son who was six at the time. I was bartending and working in my aunt’s doctor’s office. I was on break searching for jobs as a carpenter helper or apprentice when I came across a program called NEW, or Nontraditional Employment for Women. It’s a pre-apprenticeship program for women who are interested in the trades.
LP: Are there any union members in your family?
DB: My grandfather retired as an Operating Engineer
LP: What does being in Local 45 mean to you?
DB: Local 45 is the best carpenters’ Local there is PERIOD. We’re not just carpenters, we’re brothers, sisters, we are family.
LP: How has the training program been for you?
DB: It’s a great program. Great instructors.
LP: Did it prepare you for the jobs you’ve worked on?
DB: Yes, it prepares you for the jobs and as a carpenter in everyday life also.
LP: What job are you working on now?
DB: On a job on Madison Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan
LP: Have you ever felt you have to prove yourself because of your gender more than men do, in your trade?
DB: Personally, I have not felt that way.
LP: What do you like most about your chosen career?
DB: I’m becoming a NYC Carpenter. The best of the best.
LP: Do you have any plans or dreams for your future?
DB: To keep building my skills and career as a Carpenter. I’ve honestly wanted to be one since I was very little, now looking back.
