In case you missed it
ADD YOUR VOICE TO OURS AND ADVOCATE FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT!
Workforce development IS economic development and time is of the essence as we need your voice to be added to ours by signing on to a letter to Congress. As of last night, the
Senate Republicans agreed to the HEALS Act,
the starting point for negotiations for Republicans, that includes the following:
- $950 million for WIOA Title I, including $500 million for Dislocated Worker, and then $150 million each for Adult, Youth, and DW National Reserve.
- $350 million for Wagner Peyser
- There is no funding for Title II or Vocational Rehabilitation
- $1+ billion for state to process UI claims
- The expiring $600/week federal bonus would be decreased to $200/week through the end of September, which would be replaced in October with a payment (up to $500/week) combined with the state UI portion which would replace 70% of lost wages. States unable to process this change by October 5th could apply for a DOL waiver to extend the flat payment for 2 months that includes around $950 in direct WIOA funding for job training.
I am not sure how else to put this other than -- this should be alarming to you
.
We went from $15.6 billion for the workforce system in the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act (RAWA), over $2 billion for the HEROES Act,
NOW WE ARE DOWN
to $950 million in this Senate package. Negotiations will be happening over the next 10 days or so.
- PLEASE SIGN YOUR ORGANIZATION ON to the STATEWIDE LETTER that NYATEP (the state workforce development association) will send on behalf of the workforce system to New York's Congressional delegation. We need you to sign on NOW! If you have already done so, thank you!! We absolutely need to get this letter out by Wednesday.
- EMAIL OR CALL (EVERY DAY) Congresswoman Stefanik and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. Contact [email protected] for the letter template and e-mails to our NY Congressional delegation.
- Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and tag Congresswoman Stefanik and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand using #FundWorkforceRecovery as the hashtag. We are aiming for 3x a day.
The message we got from our Reps and Leadership in Congress after calls last night and this morning—THEY ARE NOT HEARING FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY -- they are not hearing that workforce development is important to our nation's recovery. What this means, although they are "supporters" of our work, when it comes down to negotiations, they are negotiating workforce development out in favor of other priorities.
We have about 10 days while negotiations are underway. This is the time to act, to call every day -- to be sure you are heard.
THANK YOU for your support and advocacy! Our workforce development system depends on it!
Sylvie Nelson, IOM
Executive Director
North Country Workforce Development Board