Lansing, MI
March 26, 2024
Wow, thank you. There's not that much more left to say after Secretary Granholm stands at the podium.
But let me just say that when I get to share the podium with Governor Whitmer, and Congresswoman Slotkin, and the amazing leaders here in Michigan—sister Lena, thanks so much for hosting us—and my incredible friend and hero, President Shawn Fain—I can't believe it's only been a year—I know I must be doing something right.
And that something is the ability to partner with and support the great work of our Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, who as you can see is not only creating, through her clarity of vision and her effectiveness, something that we believe in; it's a vision that we can actually see and we can all help to create. And that's just really remarkable. So thank you, Secretary Granholm for all that you do every day. I see it up close, and it is truly amazing.
And you are also just an outstanding partner in making sure that all of this industrial policy, that all of this vision, that all of this future, is built through good jobs and good union jobs where working people do well. And the President knows this. And you know this. And I know this. That's foundational to any future that we want to build in this country.
In fact, President Biden says this all the time. Good jobs are about more than a paycheck. It's about dignity and respect. It's about being able to look your children in the eye and say that everything's going to be okay—and mean it. It's really about how good jobs lift up families and sustain local communities.
It's just great to be here in Michigan about how the work that we're doing is going to do that.
Now, good jobs don't just happen by accident. We have to be intentional about that. That's why we're here in Lansing to talk about how the President's "Investing in America" agenda is not only going to build things, is not only going to make things happen in the United States, but is going to recreate a basis for all of this that is good union jobs.
And that's just so fundamental. And that means jobs here in Lansing. It means jobs across Michigan. And it means good union jobs all across the United States.
And President Fain and the UAW really proved what a difference that makes in this last year. Right? And we saw that up close, what it means to have a union, what it means for a union to fight for you.
And it wasn't just the historic terms of the historic contract, which had been covered a lot. It was also President Fain and the UAW members—and he always says this about the membership—it was about the workers of the UAW having a seat at the table in defining the future of their industry, in helping to chart the course of that future. And that's what it means when workers have a real seat at the table and a real voice on the job.
The city of Lansing has also been intentional. So Lansing is one of our Department of Labor's "Good Jobs, Great Cities." And that's why Mayor Schor has been so key. That's why Dr. Welch—thank you and the Lansing Community College for being a real key partner in how we think about connecting people to these good jobs that are being created. And we know that when we make connections to jobs—and we make sure that they're good jobs—that the workforce development can also drive job quality, can drive the kinds of jobs that we're trying to build. It's not just about any job. It's about really about making sure that we're creating good jobs, with real opportunity and security.
Today's announcement is another example of how we're being intentional about this.
We want to make sure that the good jobs that are being created are accessible to every community. For too long, good jobs have not been available to everybody.
Since we've talked about this already—many of you have mentioned—it's women's history. And clearly, I'm in a state that recognizes the power of women leaders.
Occupational segregation, in which women have not had access to the same good jobs that have brought dignity and respect is incredibly costly. In fact, earlier this month, we issued a study that showed that for Black women in 2023, the cost of occupational segregation is $42.7 billion in this country. The cost for Latinas, for Latino women, is $53.3 billion when compared to what men make in this country.
So we need to do something to solve the problem of occupational segregation. And support communities that have been left out of good jobs.
And Registered Apprenticeships—as President Fain already mentioned—is one key way to do that. It's one way that we open the doors to the American dream for all communities. And Registered Apprenticeships are just such a powerful tool—I mean, again, President Fain's life is an example of this. I know there are others in this room who have been in apprenticeship programs, have come out of apprenticeships, who were apprentices and are now doing jobs that have changed your lives. I travel the country and hear about people whose income quadrupled after they got into a pre-apprenticeship program that had an apprenticeship to them.
Registered Apprenticeship programs have real standards. Registered Apprenticeship programs allow people to earn while they learn. They have wage progression in them. They have, not just a job at the end of it, but a career that can last a lifetime. They have classroom instruction that is matched with the actual skills that are needed. Registered Apprenticeships not only create a skilled workforce, they allow workers to be safer on the job. And they lift up the quality of jobs. And a nationally registered credential allows workers, not just to work for one employer, but to be more mobile. That also adds to security.
And so the announcement that we're making today, led by the Department of Energy, is about a national standard for apprenticeships in the battery workforce. And so that means that while we build this future workforce, while we build and grow this industry, it is going to be done by workers who are living a decent life, who have real opportunity, who have a shot at a union, and who are really having a voice on the job and a voice in the future of their industry.
So good jobs change lives. We know that to be true. When we say good jobs, we know we mean unions, and that is what we're here to talk about here in Lansing. That is what we are here to announce. And these standards are going to allow Registered Apprenticeships to define the future of the battery workforce in this country. And so we are so excited about that.
It's about super-charging our energy future by investing in industry and by investing in America's workers. So we are very excited about it. And we are excited to pilot it here with all of you. And we're excited to see it spread across the country as a key part of the President's overall vision for how we build a strong economy and how we make the American Dream available to everyone.