Saturday, November 18, 2023

Steward Profile: Lauralee Munro

Lauralee Munro is a rare person. The Local 151 member is a Red Seal ironworker serving as a foreperson and a steward for her fellow members employed by PCL Energy Inc. in Saskatchewan. She is also a woman.

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There are very few women who choose to be an ironworker when contemplating entering the skilled trades, and it’s even rarer to then find one who has made it to foreperson or higher. But if you meet Lauralee, you will instantly know why.

Lauralee’s background was not an easy one. She grew up in a single parent household with her dad but also bounced around living with other family members. Her dad is also an ironworker, one of his many trade tickets. She was inspired by his hard work ethic and accomplishments.

When she graduated from high school, she was a young, new mother who then went to college to become an educational assistant. After completion, she decided to pursue teaching but didn’t make it into the selected teaching degree program she applied for. She then tried a program in landscaping that offered experience and safety tickets to get her foot in the door of the construction industry.

She decided that landscaping wasn’t for her after completion and responded to an ad for a company looking for commercial ironworkers. They were hesitant to hire her, but they offered her an opportunity to try it out, and she was hired. Lauralee described iron working then as a tough trade and an old boys’ club, with very few women. At one point, she showed up late once because her daughter was sick and had another boss say, “Isn’t it usually the woman that stays home with the child?”

Lauralee was not intimidated. Despite being a single mom and facing challenges of finding daycare, she persevered. Sometimes, she missed time or was late because of the difficulties finding childcare for her daughter. This forced her to jump from company to company, from job to job, because of companies and fellow workers who had no clue or sympathy for the struggles she faced.

And yet Lauralee was not dissuaded. She persevered and eventually earned her Red Seal qualification. Nonetheless, she still battled with various individuals who tried to make work difficult for her.

But by this time Lauralee’s skills as an ironworker were abundantly evident and in high demand, and she could afford to be more selective about who she worked for and with. A year ago, she found her way to PCL Energy Inc., and things have moved very fast and very positively for her since then.

“For the first time, I actually had a company that fought for me,” she says.

She proved herself at PCL and was soon promoted to lead hand and then to foreperson. She also earned the respect of her peers and was elected steward.

Ironically, today, Lauralee is not only a skilled ironworker, she has also become the teacher she once wanted to be. She works alongside apprentices often, teaching them the right way to do the job.

“I wanted to go to school for teaching,” she says. “But I feel like I get to do that in my trade.”

Your can read more about Lauralee’s amazing story in the upcoming March 2024 issue of the Guide, CLAC’s national magazine.

Steward Profile: Lauralee Munro

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