IRON WORKER
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA
Dianna Montague made history by becoming the first African-American woman to join the Philadelphia Ironworkers Union 405.
She says her inspiration goes back to the 80s film Flashdance. But it wasn't the dancing she saw that created a spark — it was the fact that Jennifer Beal's character was a welder to pay the bills. And Dianna saw something exciting in the grittiness and danger that went with the job.
After applying for an ironworker apprenticeship in 1985, she was discouraged to find no other women in the program. So she took a job instead as a welder at naval shipyard.
She would spend more than 20 years working out of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, ultimately becoming a decorated civilian employee of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense. Her work took her everywhere from Virginia and California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But she still felt disappointed that all around her, only men were working the shipyards.
She decided to become part of the solution by applying for another apprenticeship in 2007 — this time through the all-male Local 405. She was accepted and became the only woman to ever graduate from the program.
Dianna went on to become a certified master welder, rigger and rod setter. She also founded her own business in 2011, Iron Lady Enterprises, which offers contracting services for concrete reinforcement, bridge repair and deck replacement, highway construction and commercial construction, along with supplying steel, precast concrete and other materials for other contractors. As Chairperson and CEO, she makes it a priority to take women and people of color under her wing through her company. Dianna was born and raised in Philadelphia, and she is proud to headquarter her woman- and minority-owned business in her hometown. Iron Lady Enterprises has helped to build some of Philadelphia's most iconic structures, including the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Philadelphia Convention Center. The company was also contracted to work on one of New York's largest infrastructure projects, the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge spanning the Hudson River. Dianna Montague achieved her dream of becoming a journeyman, and she sets a shining example for others to follow. She has proven that women are every bit as capable as everyone else at doing the world's toughest work.
THERE'S A STORY WORN INTO EVERY PAIR OF RED WINGS.
WE WANT TO HEAR YOURS.
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