Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust (LMCT) Deputy Director Gina Walsh was honored by the North America’s Building Trades Unions, who bestowed upon her a NABTU Tradeswomen Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award was presented to Walsh during the 2024 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference held in New Orleans in late September.
NABTU President Sean McGarvey and Tradeswomen Chairwoman Vicki O’Leary presented Walsh with the award.
“We honor an absolutely remarkable leader and advocate, Gina Walsh, for her outstanding service to the State of Missouri, the Insulators Union and the entire building trades community,” said McGarvey during his presentation speech.
He explained how she rose through the ranks of her craft and set a powerful example for all union members.
“She didn’t just fight for herself, she fought for every worker who came after her, making sure the path was a little clearer, the opportunities a little broader and the future a little brighter for those entering the trades,” said McGarvey.
He highlighted her time as an elected official in Missouri and spoke about her drive and desire to advance organized labor, including the recruitment of both women and men into the trades.
“Your legacy of leadership, fairness and fighting for working people will continue to shape our unions and inspire us all for years to come,” he added.
A retired member of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 in St. Louis, Walsh has been a member of the Insulators Union for 44 years.
She entered the construction industry working permit for the Elevator Constructors, but her job dried up due to a lack of work. In the time she spent on permit, Walsh admitted she learned something important.
“What I discovered was that I wanted a career in the trades; a career, not a job, but something where I learned and each day provided new challenges,” Walsh said during her acceptance speech.
She began her probationary period in 1979 with HFIAW Local 1 and realized she wanted to become a member of the union.
Several months after she applied to the Local 1 JATC to become an apprentice, she received a phone call notifying her of her acceptance into the program.
“I pretty much figured they had forgotten about me,” said Walsh. “They may have, but the U.S. government did not. They had this thing called affirmative action and it had come to roost on the doorstep of my future employer.”
Her apprenticeship began in 1980, and she recalled feeling intimidated being the only woman on the jobsite.
“I am sure it has changed a bit, but most of you have experienced the one and only phenomenon,” Walsh said. “You are like a novelty. With every task you undertake, it seems everyone stops what they are doing to watch the show. I remember the first time I drove a lift onsite. I was not nervous about operating the lift but nervous because of all the eyes on me.”
According to International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers General President Terry Larkin, Walsh was one of the first female members of the Insulators Union.
Walsh went on to top out of the program and became a journeyman.
The benefits of being a union mechanic – good wages, health insurance, a pension plan and other trade-specific benefits – served as a driving force for her to overcome the many obstacles that she had to face on the jobsite.
“The challenges were real,” Walsh recalled. “Back then, there were no support systems or people to talk to about things that occurred on the job that were, let’s just say, inappropriate or just plain out of line.”
She spent time with the tools, but eventually realized that she wanted to do more, such as climb the path to leadership within her Local Union.
Unfortunately, this option was not available to her, so Walsh decided to run for elected office.
After 10 years representing her community on the Fire Board, she successfully ran for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives and then won a seat in the State Senate. Walsh spent 16 years in the state legislator, including four as the Senate Minority Leader.
In April 2013 she was elected President of the Missouri State Building and Construction Trades Council. Over the next eight years, Walsh worked to represent and advance the initiatives of Missouri’s union construction industry.
She was appointed to her current role of LMCT Deputy Director in 2020, and then was also appointed to serve on the TWBN National Committee.
Walsh reflected on the changes she has seen over the course of her career. Besides major improvements in safety, she pointed to TWBN and how it has helped women in the trades.
“One of the biggest changes I have seen in the building trades is the spark of excitement ignited by NABTU and TWBN,” she said. “Through their programs and workshops, Sisters all over the country have been energized. They are running for office within their Locals and winning. In my trade alone, we now have a Sister that is a Business Manager, Sisters that are Business Agents, Officers, Executive Board members, Trustees and Organizers. My International now has more women on staff than ever before. I am so proud to have been a part of these changes.”
The NABTU Tradeswoman Lifetime achievement award is presented to a tradeswoman who was nominated by members of the NABTU Tradeswomen Committee, which is made up of one representative from each affiliated trade. Members of the committee are selected by head of their International Union.
To qualify for the award, the nominee must have at least 30 years of service in the building trades. The nominee’s career must exemplify women’s empowerment and solidarity, along with being strong, inspirational mentor and trailblazer for progress for women in the building trades.
“This is one of the highest honors I have ever received because my Sisters in the trades chose me,” said Walsh.
The Mechanical Insulators LMCT congratulates Gina Walsh for her of dedicated service to the Insulators Union, the residents of Missouri and the Missouri Building Trades. She is truly a deserving recipient of the NABTU Tradeswomen Lifetime Achievement Award.