Everett, MA--6/4/2018-- Patricia gathers up her work gear and lunch as she makes her way to the construction site where she works as an excavator. Work is one of the few places where Patricia can clear her mind of her worries, where she simply must focus on the task at hand. Doing excavation work, digging ditches, laying pipes, clearing debris, might be grueling and dangerous, but the money she earns allows her to provide for her only child. A friend helped Patricia get into her union construction job, which she started 15 days after giving birth.
“You have no idea how thankful I am because this job gives me everything I need,” she said.
She works as much as she can, usually 10 hours a day, six days a week. But she recently had surgery, and only worked eight-hour shifts five days a week while she healed.