Unions, Allies: Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to Create Jobs of the Future

California Labor Federation communications organizer Rebecca Greenberg reports on the organization’s Building Workforce Partnerships conference.

Economic stimulus, green jobs, energy efficiency…these are terms workers have been hearing quite a bit about lately. This week in San Jose, Calif., unions, government, business and environmentalists joined leading economists at the California Labor Federation’s annual Building Workforce Partnerships conference to address the potential of jointly addressing economic security, energy independence and government stimulus to build a fundamentally stronger economy for America’s workers.

Speakers at this year’s conference, which focused on “The Great Transition,” explored creative and collaborative ways unions can join with our allies to address the energy crisis, get people back to work and use stimulus dollars to build sustainable and green economic growth, while restoring fairness to the workforce.

California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski opened the conference.

A green-collar job is not necessarily a good job. The challenge that we have here is how to make it so. Together, this unique collection of people can create the kind of real sustainability we need in the great transition to the new economy.

In the morning plenary, AFL-CIO Policy Director Thea Lee said we have to act boldly to rebuild our economy:

We’re not talking about a small change. We’re talking about fundamental economic transformation. Right now we have a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to come together and say, “We need a new economic model,” and we have the power to put it in place. The stimulus package was a good start, but it’s not enough. We need to continue to push the government to do the right thing, to be bold.

Experts from across the board agree that restoring workers’ freedom to bargain collectively for economic well-being is an essential component to regaining economic stability and growth.

Thomas Kochan of the Institute for Work and Employment Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology put it this way:

Unions are historically the most successful and consistent engine for economic progress to improve wages and benefits. If we have any hope of restoring the middle class and bringing about economic recovery and shared prosperity. We have to restore collective bargaining by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

Many workshops highlighted specific tools and programs already in place to help workers through the transition, including job training apprenticeship programs, work sharing alternatives to layoffs and government assistance for displaced workers. Christine Owens, executive director of National Employment Law Project, told participants:

Unemployment insurance (UI) isn’t just about modest income during job loss—It’s about having access to services and the opportunity to look for jobs. President Obama sees that we need to do a better job integrating UI with education and training. UI can help workers move into new careers so there’s a better match between what workers can do and what employers need.

The conference concluded with a special roundtable discussion on the “Green New Deal,” featuring Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance; Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; and economist James Galbraith.

Pope’s closing remarks put the exclamation point on the conference’s overall message:

For 25 years, we’ve tried to build an economy by building the penthouse first, and hoping it will all trickle down. But it’s the workers at the foundation level that really need the training, opportunities, livelihoods and communities that grow our economy. Let’s build the foundation first.

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