OFFICIAL STATEMENT – Emergency Town Hall in Support of Our Tradeswomen Members
November 14, 2025
For Immediate Release:
In response to the brutal murder of Tradeswoman Amber Czech NAWIC is holding an emergency town hall online at 6 p.m. (Eastern Time)
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) issues this statement with profound grief, outrage, and unwavering resolve and calls for immediate, systemic action to protect women in the trades.
On Tuesday morning, just outside Minneapolis, 20-year-old welder Amber Czech was murdered at her workplace, a place that could have safeguarded her as she built her future. At approximately 6:00 a.m., a 40-year-old male coworker attacked Amber from behind with a sledgehammer, delivering multiple blows that proved fatal.
Amber Czech had completed a ten-month welding program in spring 2024. She was new to the trades. She was committed to her craft. She was stepping into a life of opportunity and dignity that this industry promises. Her life and future were violently stolen.
This tragedy is not an anomaly. It is part of a disturbing pattern that we, as an industry, can no longer deny—and will no longer tolerate.
We stand with the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues (TWTF) in our absolute condemnation of all workplace violence. But condemnation alone is insufficient. Rita Brown, President of NAWIC stated, “We must confront the truth that too many tradeswomen have endured hostility, intimidation, harassment, and threats on jobsites where warning signs were visible—but unaddressed.”
In far too many cases, behaviors that preceded tragedy were known to coworkers, supervisors, or others with authority.
Too often, no one intervened.
Too often, no one reported.
Too often, no one acted.
This is systemic failure of vigilance, of leadership, and of culture.
As the nation’s leading association advocating for women in construction, NAWIC is issuing an urgent and unequivocal call to action:
To Company Owners, Contractors, Managers, Forepersons, Safety Officers, and Stewards:
Your responsibility is not optional. Your vigilance is mandatory. Your silence is complicity.
When you witness harassment, hostility, discrimination, or escalating conflict, you must intervene—immediately and decisively.
Ignoring warning signs creates the conditions for violence. Failing to act is a breakdown of duty that endangers every worker.
There is no neutral ground when a person’s life and safety hang in the balance.
Silence is NOT an option. Prevention is mandatory.
The construction industry must build—and enforce—systems that protect every tradesperson’s physical and psychological safety. This includes:
- Clear, accessible, and retaliation-free reporting pathways
- Mandatory, meaningful training on intervention and violence prevention
- Zero-tolerance enforcement of harassment, bullying, discrimination, and threats
- Accountability for supervisors and managers who fail to act
- A cultural reset that rejects the normalization of hostility toward tradeswomen
Amber deserved to come home.
Every tradeswoman deserves to come home.
Every worker deserves to come home.
Today, NAWIC extends its deepest condolences to the Czech family, Amber’s loved ones, her coworkers, and her community. Their loss is immeasurable, and we stand with them in mourning.
We demand immediate action—across companies, unions, agencies, and every corner of our industry—to protect tradeswomen now.
Amber’s name must not become another statistic.
Her death must be a turning point.
And we will not rest until every tradeswoman is safe at work.
NAWIC Emergency Town Hall: Addressing Workplace Violence and Support for Tradeswomen
Join us today for a vital and urgent emergency town hall, dedicated to demonstrating our unwavering solidarity and support for tradeswomen.
Date: November 14, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/alsz0PMESSeKEkCZYxzuAQ
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)
