{"id":11644,"date":"2021-05-20T19:38:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T23:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/?p=11644"},"modified":"2021-05-20T19:54:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T23:54:28","slug":"a-proposal-for-a-federal-job-guarantee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/2021\/05\/20\/a-proposal-for-a-federal-job-guarantee\/","title":{"rendered":"A Proposal for a Federal Job\u00a0Guarantee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Rep. Ayanna Pressley Introduced a Resolution Calling<br \/>\nfor a Federal Job Guarantee on Feb.\u00a018.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>BY GREGORY N. HEIRES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The fight for economic justice is picking up steam as the pandemic-induced economic crisis underscores our economic and political system&#8217;s deep inequities.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11651\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11651\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11651\" src=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Pressley-headshot-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Pressley-headshot-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Pressley-headshot-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Pressley-headshot-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Pressley-headshot.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11651\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Rep. Ayanna Pressley<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) introduced a resolution on Feb. 18 calling for a federal job guarantee.\u00a0 Pressley unveiled the proposal for legislation to create a government jobs program at a virtual town hall meeting she sponsored that day along with the National Jobs for All Network, PolicyLink, and Public Money Action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time to establish a legal right to a job for all people in America,\u201d Pressley said. \u201cFor years, we have legislated hate, harm, and injustice in this country. It\u2019s long past time to pursue bold, intentional policies that affirm equity and recognize the dignity and humanity of all people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Legal Right to a Job<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Anchored in the movement for economic justice and civil justice, the resolution calls for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a legal right to employment,<\/li>\n<li>a federal program to create public jobs with living wages and full benefits in infrastructure and caregiving projects, and<\/li>\n<li>ongoing federal funding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cA federal job\u00a0guarantee is an important investment in the American people, our communities, and an equitable economy that works for all,\u201d Pressley said. \u201cIt affirms the right to meaningful, dignified work and a living wage. I\u2019m proud to build upon and honor the legacy and work of generations of black women civil rights leaders by introducing this historic resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the town hall meeting, Pressley was joined by economists and advocates who spoke of how the program would address the needs of the millions of workers and families affected by structural unemployment and job loss. They underscored how the program would provide the government with a crucial tool to respond to economic downturns, lift millions of people out of poverty, revitalize the union movement, create well-paying jobs with benefits and promote the dignity of work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eliminating Unemployment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11650 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Darrick-Hamilton-265x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Darrick-Hamilton-265x300.jpg 265w, https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Darrick-Hamilton.jpg 294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Darrick Hamilton<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A panelist at the town hall, Darrick Hamilton, the director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy at the New School and NJFAN board member underscored the far-reaching societal benefit of the jobs guarantee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would literally eliminate unemployment,\u201d Hamilton said. With a jobs program, the country would no longer have a category of workers known as the \u201cworking poor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton added, \u201cWe need to understand what is the moral foundation of what we want: A civil right to a job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shawn Sebastian, the senior strategist of People Action\u2019s People and Planet First Initiative in Rural America, noted that unemployment is a political choice. Indeed, the discussion about unemployment poses a fundamental question: Should the government continue to allow millions of people to be thrown into the streets during economic crises, or will it instead commit to a policy that would help people who lose their jobs find new dignified employment?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA job is essential for everyone,\u201d Sebastian said. &#8220;Imagine the weight that falls off the community if the threat of unemployment is no longer there,&#8221; he said. People\u2019s Action represents 40 organizations in 30 states;\u00a0the organization works with diverse residents in many needy rural communities.<\/p>\n<p>Steven Pitts, the host of the Black Work podcast, said the job guarantee would restore public trust in government, which for half a century has been the target of a right-wing political attack.\u00a0With only 10.8 percent of workers represented by unions, one of the proposal&#8217;s underlying goals is to strengthen collective bargaining.\u00a0\u201cAt the end of the day, when we talk about wages and benefits, it\u2019s a question of power,\u201d said Pitts, underlying how important a union revival would be to empower workers and their families.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Beware of the Deficit Hawks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even though broad public support exists for a federal jobs program, supporters acknowledge they face an uphill battle. They expect to run into stiff opposition from deficit hawks.\u00a0Both Pressley and Hamilton addressed the anticipated politically-motivated attack from fiscal conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time\u00a0to recognize that the government has the resources to support a federal jobs\u00a0program, Hamilton said.\u00a0\u201cWe can\u2019t buy into this false scarcity narrative,\u201d Pressley said. Last year, the government allocated $750 billion for military spending as the country was living in the midst of the pandemic-induced economic downturn.\u00a0\u201cThe reality is that we are already paying by not paying\u201d for the job guarantee, she said. \u201cWe are already paying for unemployment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe see that the public supports a federal jobs guarantee, and yet we know to move this is going to be a battle,\u201d said Angela Glover Blackwell, moderator of the town hall meeting, which was called \u201cA Federal Jobs Guarantee: The Cornerstone of An Equitable Economy.\u201d Glover Blackwell is the founder of PolicyLink,\u00a0a national research institute focused on advancing racial and economic equity.\u00a0\u201cA few elected officials will dig in,\u201d Glover Blackwell said.<\/p>\n<p>The federal jobs program would be implemented through a series of legislative actions, Pressley said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fulfilling the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.&#8217;s Dream<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pressley described the jobs guarantee agenda as a \u201cnational reckoning\u201d that evoked the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s legacy.\u00a0She noted that the 1964 March on Washington was not only a demand for freedom but also for jobs. Apart from addressing unemployment, the new government program would also respond to structural racism and white supremacy, Pressley said.<\/p>\n<p>After her husband\u2019s assassination, Coretta Scott King embraced the right to a federal jobs guarantee as she fought against what she described as \u201ceconomic violence of unemployment and poverty.\u201d (See\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/made-by-history\/wp\/2018\/04\/04\/the-king-who-carried-on-the-fight-for-economic-justice\/\">https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/made-by-history\/wp\/2018\/04\/04\/the-king-who-carried-on-the-fight-for-economic-justice\/<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bostonreview.net\/class-inequality-race\/david-stein-why-coretta-scott-king-fought-job-guarantee\">http:\/\/bostonreview.net\/class-inequality-race\/david-stein-why-coretta-scott-king-fought-job-guarantee<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe certainly welcome Rep. Pressley\u2019s initiative, which we hope is going to make a federal jobs guarantee a central part of our national political debate,\u201d said NJFAN Chair Trudy Goldberg. \u201cWe stand ready to work closely with all advocacy groups and legislators who support comprehensive jobs legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pressley expressed her hope that the agenda will count on aggressive backing from the country\u2019s economic and social justice movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOrganize, baby, organize,\u201d Pressley said, quoting King.<\/p>\n<p>A video of the town hall is available\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zQCDBQTLhv8\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about the jobs guarantee proposal, go to<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pressley.house.gov\/sites\/pressley.house.gov\/files\/Pressley%20Federal%20Job%20Guarantee%20Resolution%20vF.pdf\">Resolution Text (PDF)<\/a>\u00a0and |\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pressley.house.gov\/sites\/pressley.house.gov\/files\/Pressley%20Federal%20Job%20Guarantee%20Resolution%20Summary.pdf\">Summary (PDF)<\/a>\u00a0and<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jobguaranteenow.org\/\">\u00a0www.JobGuaranteeNow.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Ayanna Pressley Introduced a Resolution Calling for a Federal Job Guarantee on Feb.\u00a018. &nbsp; BY GREGORY N. HEIRES The fight for economic justice is picking up steam as the pandemic-induced economic crisis underscores our economic and political system&#8217;s deep inequities. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) introduced a resolution on Feb. 18 calling for a&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/2021\/05\/20\/a-proposal-for-a-federal-job-guarantee\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">A Proposal for a Federal Job\u00a0Guarantee<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[140,136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legislation-actions-events","category-newsletter"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}