Spotlight on TWC at the 2022 APTA Rail Conference |
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Building the Future Workforce Pipeline Panel Presentation at APTA Rail 2022 |
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The 2022 APTA Rail Conference, held in San Diego from June 5 to 8, featured a number of events spotlighting the technical assistance work of the Transit Workforce Center (TWC), operated by the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC). First, Representing the TWC, Deputy Director Xinge Wang joined a panel of diverse speakers in a powerful and inspiring set of presentations and exchanges with the audience, focusing on Building the Future Workforce Pipeline - Successful Programs Targeting Those Less Served. The topics included:
- Inspiring and developing our future workforce: Providing summer opportunities for hundreds of Chicago’s young people to grow, develop, and contribute to our industry from Ms. Geisha Ester and Dr. Bria Hoosier, Chicago Transit Authority
- Lifting up the underserved: Reaching high school students from underrepresented communities, educating them on STEM-based careers and beyond from Ms. Kimberly Feldbauer, AECOM
- Attracting and retaining a young and diverse workforce: With equity at the forefront, engaging youth from marginalized populations to help our industry achieve a diverse, equitable, and sustainable future from Dr. Karen Philbrick (Mineta Institute) and Ms. Melissa Figueroa (CA HSR Authority)
- Apprenticeship programs moving to the forefront: Building skills, opening up opportunities, creating pathways to growing careers and communities from Ms. Xinge Wang (ITLC)
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FTA Workforce Panel at APTA Rail 2022: Liz Smith, George Fields, Veronica Vanterpool, Xinge Wang, and Mary Leary (left to right) |
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The second event was kicked off by APTA Chair Jeff Nelson and moderated by FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. The panel discussion started with Mary Leary, FTA Deputy Associate Administrator, TRI, introducing the newly created TWC and its goals, followed by Ms. Wang parsing out the current challenges and opportunities in developing the transit industry workforce and how the TWC is addressing them. Ms. Wang especially emphasized how women and minorities continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in higher-skilled, higher-paid transit jobs, especially among the technician ranks. Women represent 1% of all bus and truck mechanics and 2% of rail car repairers, whereas 41% of bus operators are women. Among racial representation, 27% and 29% of bus mechanics and rail technicians, respectively, are people of color; for bus operators, 58% are people of color. “There is a lot of potential to tap into the existing workforce and the community for talents among these underrepresented groups. And that is especially important in a tight labor market we are experiencing now. We need effective outreach into targeted communities that transit serves to draw on those talents and make them succeed through pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and ongoing mentorship and coaching,” Ms. Wang said.
Two leaders from transit agencies, George Fields, Deputy GM of Human Resources, Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority and Liz Smith, Chief of Staff, Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority then highlighted the effective partnerships with labor, community colleges and other key stakeholders and tools to support their workforce.
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Bloomberg CityLab – June 16, 2022
Public transit agencies are struggling to come to grips with the possibility that daily commuters may never come back. Authorities across the country are leaning on promotions and price cuts in an attempt to recover lost ridership with the rise of remote work during the pandemic. But long term, budgets may need to be adjusted to account for fewer ticket sales — a tough reality for systems already struggling to fund improvements and general upkeep.
Politico – June 15, 2022
The push for free buses and trains has long been heralded in progressive circles as a way to boost access to transportation, mitigate carbon emissions and bridge racial disparities. Now, it’s increasingly popular as gas prices hit new records and Covid-weary mayors and governors grow desperate to entice people and businesses back to urban centers.
Smart Cities Dive – June 15, 2022
Under its first five-year program, which began in fiscal year 2018, the FTA completed or has active demonstration projects for automated shuttles, automated bus rapid transit and mobility-on-demand services, according to FTA Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration and Innovation Karina Ricks.
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Mass Transit – June 17, 2022
“VTA is always striving to have a workforce that reflects the community that we serve. Half of our ridership is women,” said VTA Deputy Director of Bus Operations Lisa Vickery. Being a bus operator at VTA is a pathway to a higher-paying career. “Since VTA values promoting from within, we want to have the diversity and skills within VTA to make sure that we can serve the community well and help VTA be ready for the future,” added Vickery.
LA Times – June 15, 2022
Los Angeles County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is already on a construction building blitz with a subway extension to the Westside, a light-rail line in South Los Angeles and an underground connector linking multiple rail lines beneath downtown. But if the Olympic transportation planners are to meet their goals, more projects are likely to be needed to see a significant shift away from cars.
NBC Chicago – June 18, 2022
Buttigieg spoke to convention-goers about Chicago’s share of the federal government’s $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill, with $2.5 billion of that money going toward investments in the city’s transit system. The main beneficiary of that investment will be the city’s plan to extend the CTA’s Red Line beyond 95th Street, according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “This Red Line extension will go all the way to the edge of our city,” she said.
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The American Prospect – June 15, 2022
My theory is that Microsoft believes giving its workforce the right to unionize actually gives the company a competitive advantage over its peers—most immediately, its peers in the tech sector, which have universally greeted the prospect of a unionized workforce with horror and rage. Microsoft, by contrast, seems to have realized that the young techies it wishes to hire (and, once hired, keep) belong to the most pro-union generation in American history. In the most recent Gallup poll on the matter, fully 77 percent of Americans under 30 said they viewed unions favorably. One reason why Starbucks’s overwhelmingly youthful army of baristas is going union is that the pro-union sentiment of the young is both a rational calculation and a statement of values; it’s almost a cultural norm.
U.S. Department of Labor is gathering stories from workers for a new U.S. DOL worker organizing resource website about how successful union organizing campaigns made their jobs better. Use the form to share:
· What made you decide you wanted to organize a union at your job?
· How has having a union improved your life?
· What does being part of a union mean to you and your family?
· Or anything else you’d like to share about your experience organizing a union!
Drawing from a nationally representative survey of workers, the researchers summarized how large majorities of worker — well over half of workers for many issues — report a “voice gap” at work, meaning they have less say over working conditions than workers want. As the figure below indicates, the workplace voice gap is especially large on some traditional workplace issues, like benefits, compensation, safety and promotion, but also extend to respect, protection against abuse and harassment, how technology is used and employers’ values. These survey results reveal that current workplace arrangements do not provide workers with the meaningful, collective voice they seek. The results echo the findings of other research showing millions of workers would choose union representation if given the chance, and particularly young workers and workers of color.
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U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau and Cornell ILR Worker Institute – June 29, 12:30 pm ET
To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the U.S. will need to transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. This is a historic transition with a range of labor, employment and broader socio-economic impacts. Over 15 million jobs will be created in renewable energy and storage, building energy efficiency and decarbonization, transportation electrification and more. How can we ensure that these new jobs are high-quality, union jobs and that women and frontline, disadvantaged communities are centered and have equitable access to these jobs? Equity in Focus: Building a Diverse, Inclusive Clean Energy Workforce will explore how the U.S. can tackle the climate crisis and create high-quality union jobs for women and frontline communities of color that suffer the most from climate change, pollution and historic inequities.
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Applications due June 24
In furthering our mission to increase and retain the number of individuals choosing the transit field as a career, the APTF will award a minimum of twenty-five scholarships, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 to college students or transit professionals who are interested in pursuing or advancing in a career in the public transportation industry. Awards cover the academic year, beginning in the fall 2022 semester, and assist with tuition costs or other educational expenses.
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International Transportation Learning Center
301.565.4713
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