Jobs & The Economy

U.S. Senate Candidate Will Boyd’s “Put America Back To Work Act”

My “Put America Back to Work Act” will put hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans back to work right away.  Redesigned on the chassis of The Trade Readjustment Act, Boyd’s Put America Back to Work Act involves:

  • Retraining skilled workers laid off or unemployed due to n unfavorable balance of trade
  • Providing a 24-month trade school for construction workers currently laid off
  • Providing more experienced skilled laborers opportunities become Tech/Trade Professors who are certified to teach in the 24-month trade schools established under the act or provide career counseling in Job Service Offices and local Career Centers
  • Working through unions to retrain members for jobs in new green jobs
  • Facilitating partnerships between unions and construction companies or organizations like Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of identifying major demolition and development job sites within the state where workers can be temporarily relocated or deployed for extended periods of time
  • Creating a “Flip Our State” program which “flips” homes slated for demolition or foreclosure (with the intent of attracting residents back beautiful, more affordable housing in once abandoned communities)
  • Utilizing Regional Job Service Offices to identify federal funding made available through the Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009 (part of the Recovery Act)
  • Partnering with federal agencies such as FEMA to rebuild following natural disasters
  • Awarding a Trade Readjustment Allowance to workers for: a) job relocation in the state, b) additional services provided by Job Service Offices or c) those unable to locate a job upon completion of 24-month Job Service Training
  • Promoting programs such as the “3/50 Project” through local chambers of commerce
  • Encouraging unions to contribute to a statewide database of craft and green jobs made available by city or county as there may often be a shortage of union workers or skill set for larger projects funded by way of the Recovery Act or the likes of the Put America to Work Act

Long term, I will seek to initiate collaborative efforts between The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI), Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), and local faith and community based offices for the purpose of:

  • Identifying shared community values and local business or firm needs
  • Establishing One-Stop Illinois Citizen Success Centers which offer workforce development services in urban, low-income neighborhoods
  • Connecting local businesses, firms and temporary job agencies with a pool of candidates from the community who have completed training under the Put America Back To Work Act
  • Creating and fostering social networks between FBCOs provide counseling and financial assistance to employees working in local businesses, firms and organizations
  • Moving local citizens from welfare to work and ex-offenders into job reentry programs in accordance with the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) supported by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Labor
  • Providing free consulting though retired executives to small and large businesses looking to ship products or provide services overseas as opposed to moving the jobs overseas.
  • Ensuing that there is always a qualified pool of educated and trained employees for the respective jobs (or industries) within each respective community
  • Fighting seasonal or cyclical unemployment by helping grow local businesses beyond need for job hires only during certain times of the year
  • Partnering with local unions, businesses and firms for the purpose of identifying opportunities for employment with green jobs (i.e. retrofitting equipment to run on renewable energy, weather-proofing homes and businesses for energy efficiency or installing windmills), first hiring out of local union halls and utilizing local independently owned businesses in the community
  • Partnering with community colleges and local businesses to educate and train citizens of the community for indigenous community jobs or vocations
  • Simply stated, my “Put America Back to Work Act” retrofits people, not machines.  It repositions people to be successful in the communities where they raise their families and pay their taxes.  It creates jobs for today as there is no promise of tomorrow.  It pushes both the not-for-profit and the for-profit together for the purpose of putting money back in the hands of the people.  It is not based on a government handout, but a community leg up in a highly competitive global market”  It puts America back to work—putting food on our tables, seeding and sprouting new jobs in our communities— while  growing our state and national economy.