Led by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Republicans on the House Education and Labor Committee today raised alarm about new grant funding being offered under the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year, arguing that the Administration is unnecessarily limiting opportunities for workers by providing funding only to union-affiliated recipients.
“If the Administration is serious about economic recovery, it should extend 21st century job training opportunities to as many Americans as possible,” said Kline. “Unfortunately, the green job training grants announced today are restricted to a narrow group of participants: those with ties to organized labor. It’s an unnecessary limitation that could prevent workers and communities from receiving valuable training, and I urge the Administration to reconsider its decision.”
The Department of Labor today announced $440 million in grant funding under three programs – Energy Training Partnership, Pathways Out of Poverty, and State Energy Sector Partnerships and Training – all of which make partnership with a union organization a requirement for eligibility. An additional $50 million was announced for State Labor Market Information Improvement, an initiative largely operated by public sector unions at the state level.
Kline pointed out that unlike the Green Jobs Act enacted in 2007, the economic stimulus package does not impose restrictive union requirements for green job training initiatives. Instead, Congress took steps to ensure the Department of Labor could provide grants for workers in all sectors, allowing eligible industries to define the partnerships best suited to deliver job training. The grants announced today, however, ignore the intent of Congress by restricting opportunities for training and unnecessarily shutting qualified participants out of the programs.
Earlier this year, Kline and fellow Republicans introduced the Green Jobs Improvement Act (H.R. 2026), which expands eligibility under the Green Jobs Act to ensure job-seekers and job-training partners are not barred from the program simply because they may not be union-affiliated.
The Green Jobs Act, authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act and signed into law in 2007, created a program that was intended to support workforce training for good paying careers while also promoting environmentally efficient buildings, equipment, and infrastructure. However, the law – like the grants announced today – currently restricts participation to entities that partner with labor organizations, effectively excluding 86 percent of the private sector construction workforce.
The Green Jobs Improvement Act eliminates this unnecessary limitation, opening the energy-oriented training initiatives under the law to a broader range of employers and training partners who can help develop a skilled workforce to fulfill the jobs of the 21st century.
“Federally-created job-training programs should engage all stakeholders. Republicans are fighting to make sure green job training initiatives do not discriminate against otherwise qualified organizations simply because they are not affiliated with a labor union,” said Kline. “I hope a similar approach is taken with green job training opportunities under the economic stimulus – enabling all Americans to rebuild our economy together.”
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