A Benefit That Changes Everything: LMCI’s Maternity Program Comes to the Glazing Trade

For too long, women in the glazing trade have faced an impossible choice: their career or their family. The LMCI Maternity Program is working to change that, and it’s a shift the industry has long needed. 

The Labor Management Cooperation Initiative (LMCI), in partnership with IUPAT, has launched a paid maternity leave benefit available to glazing locals whose welfare funds adopt the program.  

“One of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining women in the glazing trade is the need to choose between a career and a family,” says Travis Nevins, Deputy Director of Organizing at IUPAT. “Having a maternity leave program in place allows women to have both. This changes the culture of the glazing trade for the better, making it a viable career choice for anyone.” 

Program details

According to LMCI, the program was driven in large part by IUPAT’s Women’s Committee, a group dedicated to improving the culture of the trades and expanding career opportunities for workers who haven’t always been at the forefront of construction. The message behind the program is clear: a glazier in the shop or field deserves the same benefits and opportunities as any skilled professional, because that is exactly what they are. 

The benefit provides six weeks of paid leave following the birth of a child, extended to eight weeks for cesarean deliveries. Workers who are unable to perform their job duties due to pregnancy-related physical limitations may also access up to six months of pre-delivery leave, beginning no earlier than the fourth month of pregnancy. 

The weekly benefit amount equals two-thirds of the participant’s regular pay, capped at $800 per week, a meaningful financial bridge during one of life’s most significant transitions. 

Programs like this don’t just benefit individual workers; they strengthen the pipeline. With the construction industry facing persistent workforce shortages, removing barriers to entry and retention is not just the right thing to do; it’s a smart business strategy. 

The program is available to working participants for whom contributions are made to a local health plan. Eligibility also requires that the participant was covered under their local health plan at the onset of disability and that they have not used the benefit within the past 24 months. Local welfare funds must formally adopt the program to become eligible for LMCI reimbursement. 

For local unions who have not yet adopted the program, LMCI and IUPAT encourage companies to reach out to your district council to learn more. 

“We have a long way to go in the glazing and construction industry,” Nevins adds, “but this is a good place to start.” 

NGA thanks Travis Nevins, Deputy Director of Organizing at IUPAT, and the IUPAT Women’s Committee for their leadership in advancing this program and their commitment to building a more inclusive glazing industry.