A STATE
THATWORKS
32BJ’s Plan for Good Jobs and a Strong Economy
A STATETHAT WORKS
Good Jobs,Strong Economy
Good Jobs, Strong Economy
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A STATE THAT WORKS
Stagnating wages, an ever-growing gap between the very rich andeverybody else, and a workforce struggling to meet basic family needsare holding our state’s economy back. And too often, efforts to stimulateour economy are focused on top-down strategies that just do not work.New York needs a new multi-faceted approach that replaces failing jobcreation efforts and an overreliance on Wall Street with a comprehensiveplan to invest state resources strategically in New York’s people, businessesand communities. It must begin with job creation that puts financialresources into the hands of workers, stimulating the economy from thebottom up.New York State’s elected officials and policymakers must take thisopportunity to advance a new set of priorities based on fostering the typeof economic growth that meets the needs of New Yorkers statewide. Thispaper presents 32BJ’s policy agenda in the hopes of moving a new set of priorities—and a series of policies—forward thoughtfully and swiftly.
INTRODUCTION
CREATE AND SUPPORTGOOD JOBS
Leverage New York State’s spendingpower to promote economic development
CHALLENGE
The state’s current approach to economic development is haphazard,expensive and ineffective. Economic development programs have notsustained long-term growth across the state, nor have they been adequatelytargeted to support those employers and industries that can create jobs thatlift workers out of poverty and into the middle class.
SOLUTION
The state must reassess its economic development agenda and how itawards financial incentives to businesses. More immediately:
Development Agency (IDA) reform.
Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and to state-financedaffordable housing.
investing in training for workers to improve energy efficient buildingoperations and maintenance practices.
STATE SUBSIDIES MUST CREATE GOOD JOBS
“I have traveled all over in order to work. Millwrights work in power plants and oilrefineries and on big construction sites. When there’s union work, it pays well andI get health insurance, pension and other benefits.“When I heard that CVS was building a huge distribution center about 10 milesfrom here on I-86, I thought I’d get good work there, building the conveyors andracks, setting up the robotics. But it turned out that the contractor was nonunionfrom North Carolina, even though I know that CVS got tax breaks from New YorkState and IDA money.“When I worked on the site, they provided none of the necessary safety equipment.I had to supply my own helmet, safety harness, safety glasses, welding gloves andwelding leather. And only a few of the 40-50 workers on the site were from nearby.The rest were brought in from out of state.“This is where I was born and raised myself. My wife is a nurse. She’s making themortgage payments now, about $1,000 a month. But we’re expecting our first childin December—and there’s no work near here that will support my family. Thatdoesn’t seem right.”
-Joseph Temple
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For a detailed description of 32BJ’s legislative and policy goals regardingeconomic development, see page 12.
Joseph Templeapprenticed for five years to becomea millwright, a highlyskilled trade requiredin the constructionof industrialmachinery and precision mechanics.He and his wife areexpecting their firstchild in December,but there’s no worknear their home inLockwood, N.Y.
Good Jobs, Strong Economy
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A State That Works
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