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Viewpoint: Federal-local partnerships can lead to better jobs, brighter future in Lansing

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Viewpoint: Federal-local partnerships can lead to better jobs, brighter future in Lansing

Andy Schor
 |  Guest writer

Washington, D.C. is more than 500 miles from Lansing. So, what happens there can seem far away. The policies made there, however, can profoundly impact our neighborhoods if those policies are intentionally designed to do so. Fortunately, we are seeing more recognition of the power in federal policymaking that builds national change from the ground up. 

That’s why on Sept. 11, I am meeting with Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su here in Lansing and will affirm Lansing’s commitment to the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Principles, and to announce our participation in the Leveraging Infrastructure Networks for Equity (LINE) Initiative, a partnership between the Department of Labor Women’s Bureau and the non-profit Accelerator for America.

It’s an example of a federal-local partnership that leverages national policy to drive local change. In this case, our partnership is aimed at putting more money in people’s pockets. 

The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure law has so far invested $12 billion across Michigan and $528 million in Lansing alone to help with neighborhood and education infrastructure, modernize our airport and build electric vehicle charging stations.

We are hopeful more is to come, and we will be applying for a variety of grants to help our city. While mayors like me love to see concrete poured, steel welded, and roads repaired, these projects will also drive high-wage paychecks for our workers.

That is at the core of our Good Jobs commitment and work with LINE — how do we make sure that when federal investments are made in Michigan, our residents are trained and ready to do the work? How can we train and employ more women in these projects?

Key to our workforce efforts will be communication and data. We must engage with employers to identify their needs, and we must then translate that into workforce programs tailored and scaled to meet them. We must utilize data to understand what we need today and 10 years from now.

We don’t want workforce development programs to operate in a vacuum, training workers for jobs that may or may not exist. Our work with the Department of Labor and Accelerator for America will make sure training is based on demand and strengthens partnerships with community colleges, union training halls, Capital Area Michigan Works!, and non-profit organizations.

Some of the best ideas are borrowed – and I will shamelessly implement another city’s idea in Lansing if it helps people pay the bills. That’s why, in advance of the visit from Secretary Su, I gathered last month with leaders from 15 other cities as part of the Department of Labor and National League of Cities’ Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy.

We came away with great models for partnerships among employers, training providers and community organizations to build pathways to good jobs in infrastructure, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. We also heard from many cities how essential childcare is for working parents to participate in training and pursue new opportunities, and I was optimistic the work we are doing with childcare will help workers earn good wages.

We are also working on solutions to barriers that all workers face, including those faced by women and underserved populations. How can we double the percentage of women in the skilled trades? We put significant funding into the Lansing Equitable Economic Development program, and that program is working to help build equitable capacity for businesses. I look forward to seeing what other communities are doing as well.

In Lansing and around the country, we know that good jobs — those that offer family-sustaining wages and benefits, predictable schedules, and opportunities for growth — can change lives and communities for the better. Not living paycheck to paycheck means the ability to buy a home, make investments, support our local economy, and provide a more solid foundation for our children.

That makes for a stronger future for people’s families, for Lansing, and for our state and nation.

Andy Schor is the Mayor of Lansing and is a member of the Accelerator for America Advisory Council.

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