Washington, DC
January 17, 2024
Thank you for that kind introduction, Mayor Schieve, and thank you for all that you’re doing to transform Reno, Nevada and for your leadership as President of the Conference of Mayors.
I’m proud that for the first two years of the Biden-Harris administration, I worked side-by-side with one of your own—my predecessor Marty Walsh—to advance President Biden’s vision of an economy built from the middle out and the bottom up, making unprecedented investments in America, and building something that I call the “high road.”
I’ll come back to the “high road” in a moment.
But I think the best way to demonstrate it is to talk about what’s happening in the city of Pittsburgh right now.
The Biden-Harris administration is Investing in America not only to deliver roads, bridges, and modernized airports, clean drinking water and a clean climate, high-speed internet, and more, but to create good jobs in communities that need them most.
And as part of that agenda, Pittsburgh was named one of five workforce hubs across the country. The idea behind the workforce hubs is that we work closely with cities to maximize federal dollars coming in to create good jobs, and in the process, develop and elevate practices that can be modeled in many more places, practices that ensure federal investments translate into real opportunity for all.
We talk a lot about investments in infrastructure, and I think of the workforce system as infrastructure too—it’s the roads and bridges that connect people to the good jobs they want and need, and employers to the people they want and need. And we need this infrastructure to be as strong as our physical infrastructure.
How do we do that?
We engage employers who know that it’s not just jobs we want, it’s good, quality jobs, in industries like advanced manufacturing, construction and clean energy.
We tap into community-based organizations who serve those who have been historically shut out, like people of color, women, and justice-impacted individuals, to help make sure everyone has access to the good jobs being created.
We build registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs with supportive services like childcare and transportation.
We bring local colleges and universities to the table so they can play their part.
As a workforce hub, the Department of Labor has worked with Mayor Gainey and his team on all of these strategies. And they are embodied in the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles, which the city is leading and has engaged labor unions, community organizations, and employers all to sign on to. These principles are based on effective workforce strategies that can be a model for all cities.
Mayor Gainey and local partners are building a coalition with the momentum to get transformative things done, creating good jobs, prosperity, and a stronger city for all.
This is what it looks like to take the high road toward job creation and economic growth. And it’s something that the Department of Labor wants to replicate all across the country in partnership with all of you.
On the high road, workers who have historically been left out or left behind can get connected to good-paying, union jobs.
On the high road, America has a diverse, well-trained, and ready workforce.
On the high road, businesses that play by the rules and treat their workers fairly can compete and grow on a level playing field.
On the high road, we support and promote workers’ voices. And we create good jobs that give families, in President Biden’s words, “a little breathing room.”
When we do this right together, we will build not just physical roads and bridges, but the high road to the middle class.
And cities are where the high road gets built.
I see this all around the country. I’m glad to see Cleveland Mayor Bibb and Montgomery Mayor Reed, both of whom I got to meet with in their cities recently to talk about these issues.
Today, I’ll talk about ways that mayors can use the Department of Labor as your partner, as you build the high road in your cities.
But first, I want to recognize the obvious: for all of the investments that the Biden administration is making across America, the federal government can’t do what local leaders do—what you do.
As mayors, you’re the ones with a finger on the pulse of what your community needs. And it’s never one-size-fits-all. Mayors are also the ones with the connections. You’re the conveners. And long after the federal government announces a grant or hosts a meeting, you’re the ones who keep up that work day after day.
Last year, the Department of Labor launched a new initiative called “Good Jobs, Great Cities” with Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and 32 more cities. And Mayor Woodards is keeping that initiative going so cities are sharing with one another how you’re building effective pathways to good jobs, and we are in it with you.
Second, cities are the laboratories for innovation. For example, cities are setting minimum wages that are higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and higher than that of many states. This makes sense because you see more closely than anyone the impact of poverty wages on working people, families, and entire communities.
Cities have led the way on paid sick leave—well before their states got on board.
And just last week, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and the city council passed a prevailing wage ordinance. That’s going to guarantee that construction workers get paid fairly on city projects.
At the Department of Labor, we cheer on such innovation focused on making life better for workers across America, and we are in it with you.
We can help you build the high road in your communities in some big ways.
I’ll start with high road training partnerships. That means bringing workers and employers together to design training programs that are tied to actual jobs. This is a job-first approach to workforce development. In other words, a worker’s training shouldn’t end in a job search, it should end in a good job.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
The Department of Labor has designated 24 infrastructure projects funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as “megaprojects.” Those megaprojects include one to better connect the highway between Boulder and Longmont, Colorado. It includes a project in Christian County, Kentucky to produce materials for electric vehicle batteries. And it includes a project in Brownsville, Texas to improve one of our country’s most important land ports.
For these megaprojects, the Department of Labor is rolling up our sleeves—before shovels even hit the ground—to help local leaders, project owners, contractors, and unions identify, recruit and hire women, workers of color, and other underrepresented groups into these open jobs.
The Department of Labor is also investing big in Registered Apprenticeships. I hear all the time from mayors that it’s hard for local employers to find skilled workers. Well, Registered Apprenticeships are one of the most powerful tools out there for workers to gain the skills they need for in-demand jobs. Registered Apprenticeships aren’t one-off job training courses. They are a proven way to build bridges between people and good, available jobs.
We just released proposed updates to expand apprenticeships for high school students. That would help cities grow their pipelines of young, diverse, skilled workers to fill jobs of the future and reach young people earlier so they see a path to the middle class without getting a college degree.
We can’t build the high road if we don’t also combat the low road.
By that I mean enforcing laws to protect workers and holding those accountable who shortchange, steal from, abuse, or endanger workers.
When it comes to enforcement, we want workers to always get the highest level of protections that they’re entitled to. We approach enforcement from the perspective of what workers deserve—not what limits government agencies have.
So for example, Minneapolis has enacted a minimum wage and paid sick leave ordinances that go beyond what the federal laws guarantee. And my team at the Department of Labor and the City of Minneapolis’s enforcement arm has collaborated to make sure workers know their rights… and that employers understand their responsibilities. We’ve also coordinated on referrals and investigations to make sure workers get the strongest protections possible.
By combatting the low road, employers don’t have to compete against bad actors, and Minneapolis workers go home at the end of the day with everything they’re owed.
I’ve said a lot about the high road that connects workers to good jobs. And I want to leave you with some ideas on how to build and strengthen it once you’re back home.
One of the most concrete ways to do it—even without a big budget or other resources—is to create a coalition that signs onto Good Jobs Principles so jobs in your city put workers on a path to the middle class, give them a voice on the job, and bring the right partners together to ensure the workers, businesses, and communities you all represent across America can thrive.
You can also check out the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Toolkit at Goodjobs.gov. We designed it to support your work to improve job quality, empower workers, and create equitable opportunities.
I also hear from mayors about how you appreciate direct funding to your cities. And, in fact, cities are eligible for many of our discretionary grants—like ones to prepare workers for jobs in renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure. And later this year, we’ll have a new round of “Apprenticeship Building America” grants that cities can apply for to be “Apprenticeship hubs.” So keep an eye out for those opportunities.
I mentioned Registered Apprenticeships—and I think of them as onramps to the high road. The Department of Labor is on a mission to serve a million apprentices in 2024. We want people in your city to be part of that million. If you haven’t yet, set a goal for the number of apprentices that you’ll strive for in your city, both for public sector and private jobs. And call our Office of Apprenticeship if you want to learn more about how to expand apprenticeships and reach traditionally underserved communities.
Also commit to “Hire Youth” in 2024 in summer youth employment and apprenticeship programs and expand pathways for youth into other critical sectors. When you do, tell us about it so we can highlight your work. You can find out more at DOL.gov/YEW—for “Youth Employment Works.”
And finally, as you protect the people in your communities, make sure that you’re protecting workers. Reach out to us—we have regional offices all across the country, and we work with you to end wage theft and make sure every worker goes home healthy and safe at the end of the workday.
Cities have the power to do transformative things to connect workers to good jobs, to support and sustain equitable economic growth, and create real opportunity for all.
That’s the high road. And at the Department of Labor, we are in it with you.
Let’s strengthen and expand it so that it reaches every corner of our country.
Let’s build this high road, together.