| By Jane LaTour |
| Sisters in the Brotherhoods |
| Photo by Jon Bloom |
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| What's Inside? |
| As a member of Local 30, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), she’s traveled along two tracks. At some points, she’s assumed a role as an active participant. At others, she’s limited herself to observation, albeit from the perspective of a critical rank-and-file member who understands the role of democracy within a union. At all times, despite the significant limitations of her local, she has held to a firm belief in the critical importance of and potential power of unions. Maitin is small in stature, but her five-foot frame contains a large and powerful spirit. Her coffee-colored skin is set off by curly gray hair. Frequent outbursts of laughter puncture any sense of self-importance, both her own and that of others. She is quick to locate the absurdities of any situation. Throughout more than 24 years as a tradeswoman, her sense of humor has stood her in good stead. In 1983, at age 33, Maitin entered the apprenticeship program of Local 30. The single mother of a 12-year-old son, she found the strength and determination to work full-time, attend school, and travel between two boroughs. Early on, she got involved with tradeswomen’s groups and contributed her organizing savvy to their efforts. |
| As a perceptive, politically aware person, Yvone Maitin provides an answer to an important question: despite the horrific treatment that many women working in nontraditional bluecollar jobs have experienced from their unions, why is it that so many continue to hold a very pro-union position? Going to work in an all-male environment presented Maitin, a Stationary Engineer, with a daily challenge. Yet she succeeded in moving from ostracism to acceptance. Early on, she worked with—forced—her union to win a favorable resolution to a grievance. Then she served as a shop steward. |
| Stationary Engineer |
| Yvone Maitin |
