Chicago Women in Trades, a Chicago-based nonprofit, is suing to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion. The group—founded in 1981 to help women enter union construction jobs—warns that losing federal support and industry partnerships could roll back decades of progress in a field where women remain under 5% of the skilled-trades workforce.
CHICAGO — On Sept. 20, 2025, thousands of tradeswomen marched in a banner parade through downtown as part of the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference. Staff from Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) led a drumline in fluorescent vests and hard hats. “This is amazing to see what it has grown into… To see the sisterhood that has been built is so empowering,” said Lauren Sugerman, a former elevator constructor who later spent much of her career at CWIT.
Founded in 1981, CWIT grew in response to a 1965 order by President Lyndon B. Johnson that required federal contractors to take proactive steps to prevent discrimination. The group says roughly 70% of its participants are Black and Latina, and, as of January 2025, about 40% of its budget came from U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grants, NPR reported.
What changed under the orders
- Within hours of taking office in January, President Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to end DEI-related activities and imposing new requirements on federal contractors and grantees. One order rescinded Johnson’s 1965 Executive Order 11246 and added a certification that contractors and grant recipients are not operating DEI programs that violate federal anti-discrimination laws—language that also ties compliance to potential False Claims Act penalties. (White House and Federal Register documents.)
- “There’s a lot of threats out there but no clarity on what is illegal DEI,” said CWIT Executive Director Jayne Vellinga in an interview. In a statement to NPR, White House spokesman Kush Desai countered that “instead of DEI boondoggles that accomplish nothing, the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for Americans of all backgrounds to help build our next Golden Age,” pointing to a separate directive to boost the skilled-trades workforce. The administration has pledged to support 1 million new registered apprenticeships annually; a separate executive order instructs agencies to produce a plan to reach and surpass 1 million active apprentices.
Programs and people at stake
- CWIT’s free 10-week pre-apprenticeship program has launched careers for women like plumbing apprentices Kaitlyn Truty, Charlie Willoughby and Juliet Silvestre, who credited the training—down to learning how to lift an 80‑pound box—to their success.
- Some unions are adjusting to legal risk. Earlier this year, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters disbanded its more-than-quarter‑century‑old Sisters in the Brotherhood program, citing exposure under current federal policies, according to a memo by General President Douglas McCarron reported by NW Labor Press and NPR. “It’s very ironic… And it will impact our ability to get women into the trades in the future,” said retired carpenter Kina McAfee, now on CWIT’s staff.
Inside the lawsuit
- On March 27, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Labor Department from enforcing the new certification requirement and from cutting CWIT’s funding, pending further review, according to court filings and Reuters.
- On April 15, Kennelly granted a preliminary injunction that: (1) bars the Labor Department from enforcing the certification requirement against any DOL contractors and grantees nationwide; and (2) separately blocks the termination of a specific CWIT grant. He declined broader, government‑wide relief beyond the Labor Department. The administration has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; a hearing date has not yet been set, NPR reported.
What’s next
Vellinga says the organization remains in limbo while litigation proceeds and industry partners weigh the new rules. The stakes are high: women still account for less than 5% of the skilled-trades workforce nationally, NPR reported.
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Notes on sourcing: Details on the executive orders and their rescission of EO 11246 are drawn from White House and Federal Register records. The scope and status of the court orders are based on Reuters reporting, Associated Press coverage and legal summaries. Quotes and on‑the‑ground reporting in Chicago, as well as CWIT budget and participant data, are from NPR’s coverage. The carpenters’ program change is documented in a union memo reported by NW Labor Press and referenced by NPR.
