Pittsburgh, PA
November 8, 2023
Thank you so much for the very warm, Pittsburgh welcome.
And thank you – so much to you Mayor Gainey, for proving the wisdom of the President’s faith in naming Pittsburgh a workforce hub and for showing everybody what local leadership, working in partnership with the federal government, looks like to build a truly inclusive place for everybody, where everybody gets included. We are very, very grateful for that – and for the partnership withPartner4Work, which you already mentioned.
I also do want to ask the Department of Labor team that’s here to stand up.
What the Mayor said about who makes up your team, how they work, who they work with all matters. They make me look good, and they really deliver on the Biden promise.
I also want to acknowledge the Pennsylvania Labor Secretary, Nancy Walker, who’s with us.
And I want to echo what the mayor said about Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council President Darrin Kelly. I just want to say that if you have not walked through the Labor Day Parade with President Kelly… I figure it must be what it’s like to walk with Taylor Swift. Thank you, President Kelly.
And looking around this room today, I see the kind of coalition that is going to get transformative things done – that’s already getting transformative things done – and showing what it means to build an economy for all.
As President Biden says, a good job is about more than a paycheck. And he’s right about that. Good jobs change lives. They bring dignity and respect. They sustain families. They build strong communities.
And in President Biden’s America, we’re making sure that every single person who wants a good job can get that good job.
Because for far too long, far too many people have been left out of those opportunities. They’ve been passed over for good-paying jobs, or relegated to workplaces that lack basic protections. They’ve been stuck without the opportunity to take their skills to the next level. Or, they’ve just been told that they shouldn’t even try.
And at a time when our economy is growing, when employers need more workers, we can’t leave their talent untapped. And I say that to say that building an inclusive economy is not just the right thing to do. It’s also the smart thing to do.
And President Biden is making sure our economy grows from the bottom up and the middle out – where no one is left behind.
And a key part of that is making sure that our workforce system works. I like to think of our workforce system as infrastructure. It’s the roads and bridges that connect people to the good jobs they want and need and employers to the people that they want and need.
And we need that infrastructure to be as strong as our physical roads and bridges. And again, we have partners right here in Pittsburgh who understand exactly what that means and how to get that done.
And like our physical infrastructure, our workforce system infrastructure has some cracks. It’s got some potholes. It does not reach every community that it needs to reach.
And so we need to rebuild that workforce system so that it reaches into all communities into all talent. That’s how we’re going to unleash the talents and skills of every worker in this nation.
So earlier this year, President Biden chose Pittsburgh as one of five Workforce Hubs across the country.
And the idea behind Workforce Hubs is simple but profound: center the people who’ve been historically been left behind. And Pittsburgh, right here, is especially focused on people who are living in extreme- or high-need communities, on single-parent households, on opportunity youth, those who are not connected to either school or work, for citizens returning to the workforce after having some involvement with the justice system, and refugees, and immigrants. So vulnerable communities that deserve a shot. And we’re going to provide them a shot.
And connecting those workers to employers helps make employers also more competitive.
And our Hubs are built on partnerships. They’re built on city leaders. But they’re also built on partnerships of everybody in this room that the Mayor already mentioned with unions, with employers, philanthropic organizations, training providers, community-based organizations, educational institutions, and more.
And today, you – our partners – are standing together on some shared principles. So I want to congratulate and applaud each of today’s signatories of the Pittsburgh Good Jobs Principles.
As the first set of partners to commit to this regional equity framework that you already heard about, you’re leading the way to make sure all Pittsburghers have equitable access to good jobs, including good union jobs. And you are creating a model for the nation.
These principles are how we make good on the promise.
So I already mentioned I was here in Pittsburgh on Labor Day, with Pittsburgh’s own Taylor Swift. And it was an incredible Labor Day march. And I also was here in July when I got to see how federal investments are making a difference, including in modernizing the terminal at the Pittsburgh airport.
And on that day, I met a man named Robert.
Now Robert had gone through training that led to an Operating Engineers apprenticeship. He’s now part of Pit2Work, a program that you’ve already heard is growing. And he’s working on the new terminal as a crane operator. Robert told me that he earned more in his first week in his union job than he did in a month at his prior jobs.
And he’s proud that he bought a house for his family and that, one day, he’ll tell his son that he helped build that airport terminal.
So I’ll say it again: good jobs change lives. They build intergenerational opportunity, wealth, and pride.
So this Workforce Hub and the Pittsburgh Principles are going to pave the way for more stories just like Robert’s, not just in infrastructure, but also in advanced manufacturing and in clean energy.
And we’re highlighting some commitments in those priority areas today.
A manufacturing company called Re:Build will hire and train 300 workers over the next three years.
And Re:Build is going to recruit those workers from local K-12 school districts and community colleges – and by partnering with the local American Job Centers.
Partner4Work, already been mentioned, which runs the program that Robert is a part of, is going to scale up and open at least three more project sites next year.
The German American Chamber of Commerce, who often hires United Steelworker apprentices… over the next five years, they’re going to launch a registered apprenticeship program for electric vehicle technicians. It’s also going to support double enrollment in four registered apprenticeships in engineering and technology sectors.
The power management company Eaton partners with IBEW. And Eaton has committed to offering paid co-op and internship opportunities in cybersecurity.
So throughout all of this work, having labor unions at the table is critical. So many of them are here today to endorse Pittsburgh Principles: Central Labor Council of Allegheny/Fayette, IBEW, Eastern Atlantic States of Carpenters, the Painters Union Local 57 – where did our painters go? Painters right back there – Ironworkers Local 3, Master Builders Association, and of course the United Steelworkers.
And each of these commitments, each apprentice, each new job has the power to change lives.
And let’s make sure to continue to ensure that nobody gets left behind as we do this.
So I’m going to leave you with a challenge and a promise. I challenge you all to live up to these Good Jobs Principles and to put them into practice. And I also challenge many more partners to join and sign on, as well. As they Mayor said, we’re going to lead through our example. And we ask others to join us in this really important effort. That way, all workers can live with the security of a good job.
And my promise to you: the Biden-Harris administration will always have your back, as we invest in America.
Thank you so much.