Working For America - Workforce Investment Act of 1998

Know your role and responsibilities

Your Workforce Investment Board, in partnership with the Local Elected Official, is responsible for deciding how Workforce Investment Act money is spent in your area. Congress intended that those decisions should have input from organized labor, so by law, every WIB includes 2 labor representatives.

Your appointment to the WIB gives you both opportunity and responsibility-the opportunity to participation directly in job training and economic development decisions for your community and the responsibility to faithfully represent the views and concerns of labor and all working people.

Billions of dollars flow through the WIA system-together with the local labor movement, you can make a difference.

Identify ways to meet labor's and the community's needs

Almost every WIA program may affect a labor union -either by funding services for working or dislocated members, new entrants to unionized jobs, or employers who are competitors of unionized employers. Make sure you are aware of what

is going on in industries other than your own and the needs of specific unions.

See that labor organizations are considered equally with other groups to serve as operators of training programs.
Make sure that unions' needs for training and other services are addressed where appropriate in your WIBs' area plan.
Learn what union and community-based (CBO) training programs are available.
Make sure signatory (unionized) employers know what training resources are available.
Make sure your WIB funds effective programs that meet legitimate needs and result in people having good jobs with benefits and living wages.

Build your labor network

You are in an important liaison position as a WIB representative. Use your position to build a "network" that will help you keep unions apprised of WIA activities.

Your networking success depends on building good relations within both labor and the local WIA system. Meet the people involved, learn the issues, and promote a labor viewpoint on these issue