Growing up in a union family in Oklahoma, Alexandra “Allie” Williams didn’t think she would become a carpenter, joking, “I accidentally joined the union seven years ago.”
Williams worked in retail management and did woodworking as a hobby, with finish-trim videos on YouTube inspiring her to seek a career that paid a living wage.
After a Google search for “How to Become a Carpenter,” Williams reached out directly to the Oklahoma City Local Carpenters Union 329 and interviewed with instructor Brian Spradley, who taught her how to add and subtract fractions during their interview, “which is something the Oklahoma education system had failed to do,” she said, “and I was sold.”
She began her apprenticeship and worked with several contractors, learning more about the industry with each job. Willaims found herself working on major projects around Oklahoma including the University of Oklahoma Medical Patient Tower, the BancFirst tower, and the WPX Energy Building in Tulsa.
Along with remaining active in her local, Williams gained experience in nearly every part of carpentry, from glazing, roofing, and framing to interior systems, ICRA, wall protection, handrails, doors, and hardware. “Everything except for structural concrete and heavy highway,” she said. “It’s just not in our market, but I wish it was possible to chase that.”
After three years, Williams had met her partner, also a union carpenter, and raised enough money to buy her family farm. “I owe a lot to the union,” she said. “It’s an opportunity that I know I wouldn’t have had elsewhere.”
As soon as Williams was eligible to hold union office, she was appointed by former Local President Matt Hawkins for the position of trustee. “He told me that the moment he met me, that he knew I was going to be something in this union, and he was going to put me on that [executive] board.”
In late 2022, Williams journeyed out and worked on a hospital remodel project in Lawton, Oklahoma. After its completion, she decided to apply to become a trainer, but during a delegate training meeting, she was seated at a table with Southern Regional Council of Carpenters (SRCC) Government Affairs Director Gary Warren.
“I didn’t know what he did, so I just started asking questions,” said Williams. This chance meeting inspired Williams toward another career shift.
After her meeting with Warren, she realized that her experiences as a woman in construction could do more good by affecting policy.
Once the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law, Williams said she saw firsthand the real-time effects of the national law at the local level in her community.
Many rural hospital projects in the planning phase were shut down due to funding cuts, resulting in many carpenter jobs being lost. “It was a real shock to see just how fast what happened in politics can affect what happens at our jobs,” she said.
Williams joined the government affairs team for the SRCC in December of 2025. With her experience as a union carpenter and community-minded advocate, she hopes to educate more people on the benefits of joining the union while leading a bipartisan effort to advocate for the working class in Oklahoma.
While growing up, William’s father worked for the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in Oklahoma, which had strong contracts with AT&T at the time. They tried to fire him for doing his job, but the CWA was able to protect him for fulfilling his end of the contract.
“We can grow and we can get that strong,” she said.
“We want to build quality schools, hospitals, and highways that last longer than we do, and we want to do it in a way that also funds Social Security, workers’ compensation, and all of that,” Williams said.
“I want to see a stronger union and a stronger market share, and I want to do it by building allies on both sides of the aisle,” she said.
