Martha Castro : Making it Happen ?
Castro knew at a young age that she has a zest for things that challenge her physically. Raised the oldest of three in East Los Angeles, Castro grew up playing baseball with kids on the same block where her parents’ family lived for 70 years. She later played softball at Rio Hondo College, earning an associate’s degree in administrative justice. But after accepting a full softball scholarship at Dominguez Hills College, she abruptly quit over her frustration with their coaching style. “After quitting college, I lost sight of my goals to become a police officer,” she recalls. Castro ultimately found work as a package clerk for UPS, where she was soon promoted to a driver. At UPS, she was one of three female drivers out of 400 men. But she enjoyed every minute of working in the outdoors. In fact, she spent nearly two decades working at UPS until she left in 2005 after having conflicts with management. Castro was unemployed for nearly a year before she found a laborer job at a refinery maintenance company. Although she liked working in the outdoors again, she found herself laid off just months later. While visiting an unemployment office, she saw a PVJOBS flyer and quickly gave the job program a call. After learning about Castro’s experience as a laborer, the PVJOBS staff recommended that she enroll in the laborers union. “And they were right,” says Castro. “The union put me to work within a week.” The transition went especially smoothly since PVJOBS underwrote her union membership fees. Since joining the union, Castro has worked with two contractors that have helped give her on-the-job experience. “As an apprentice, I’m learning something new everyday,” she says. “The more I learn, the more employable I become. It’s up to me to make it what I want.”
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orty-one-year-old laborer Martha Castro feels like her apprenticeship is tailoredmade for her. “Physical work is right up my alley,” says Castro, who is an apprentice with Laborers Union Local 802. “I enjoy getting my hands dirty.”