Obama's Broken Jobs Promise
Women, Minorities, Middle-Aged Jobless Excluded
Apr 5, 2009 Jacqueline S. Homan
Robert Reich, former labor secretary to President Clinton, said that the Obama administration was concerned with the needs of all workers; that the 3 million new "shovel ready" jobs would include the long-term unemployed, women, and minorities — all who fare the worst during economic downturns. The promise of inclusion means a lot to America's most disadvantaged jobseekers, especially during the worst job market in the annals of American history since the Great Depression. But Obama broke the promises he made.
Obama's Plan Leaves Majority of Jobseekers Out in the Cold
In February Obama signed an executive order that encourages executive agencies to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements (PLA's) on federal projects of $25 million or more. PLA's are collective bargaining agreements with unions. PLA's set the terms and conditions of employment on large construction projects. They also make unions the bargaining representatives for workers on job sites, even though 85% of all US construction workers aren't union members.
But since white middle class males dominate the skilled trades unions, disadvantaged women and minorities won't benefit from the good jobs created by Obama's stimulus bill projects. PLA's have always skewed the bidding process in favor of union contractors, thus in favor of middle class white males — at the expense of poor women (many whom are single mothers), minorities, and job seekers over age 40 who will overwhelmingly be excluded.
Data from the 2008 US Department of Labor report shows that women and blacks comprise only 11% of construction unions' membership rolls. For decades, women and blacks trying to join unions were discriminated against. They had little to zero access to union apprenticeship programs and faced nepotism, according to Stanford University law professor William Gould.
Catherine Singley of the National Council of La Raza criticized Obama's negligence to include women and minorities. Singley also said that giving preference to unions is leaving out Latinos who also face discrimination for good jobs and union membership.
"In an environment where jobs are already scarce, the promise of infrastructure jobs is supposed to be a promise for all", Singley said.
Older White-Collar Workers Left Out
The stimulus bill also failed to include the long-term unemployed who are mostly middle-aged office workers and professionals. They are struggling without jobs, healthcare, and have the added burden of college loan debt while trying to feed their families and help impoverished elderly parents.
If Obama really was paying attention to the needs of women and minorities by ensuring that the most economically fragile job seekers got included, he should have resurrected the Comprehensive Employment & Training Act program (CETA).
Obama Should Have Brought Back CETA
CETA was the federally subsidized jobs placement program that placed socio-economically disadvantaged job seekers in jobs, from which these workers could springboard to better permanent job opportunities. It was one of the "Great Society" programs implemented during Lyndon Johnson's administration.
CETA helped the poorest and most disadvantaged workers get a chance. The majority of CETA participants were women, minorities, white males with limited education, and older workers who were low-income. CETA was one "Great Society" program that truly worked and was fair to everyone. It was also the first anti-poverty prgram to get axed. CETA was eliminated during the Reagan administration during the mid-1980's.
If Obama cared about keeping his promise to the poor and working classes, he would have brought CETA back and earmarked good paying infrastructure jobs through CETA participants.
What do you think about this article?
More in Politics & Society
Latest Articles