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HR 1000 -- The Humphrey-Hawkins
21st Century
Full Employment and Training Act
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has introduced HR 1000, the Humphrey-Hawkins
21st Century Full Employment and Training Act. This
comprehensive federal job creation and training bill creates a
national public service jobs program, and recommits the U.S. to
seeking a national goal of full employment, where everyone has
the right to useful work at living wages.
HR 1000 puts serious dollars on the table to help Americans get
back to work. The bill establishes a “National
Full Employment Trust Fund," funded by a small Financial
Transactions Tax on Wall Street financial speculation. The
financial transactions tax will include a 1/4 of 1 percent (0.25%)
tax on stock transactions; and similar small taxes on futures,
options, and swaps transactions. These modest assessments
on Wall Street operations would generate $100-150 billion per
year -- enough money to create 2.5 to 3.9 million jobs throughout
the US in the first two years of the program.
HR 1000 would create millions of new local jobs through partnerships
between the Department of Labor and state and local governments,
non-profit community organizations, and small businesses. New
jobs would be created in the fields of construction, infrastructure
repair, energy and conservation, education, health care, human
services and neighborhood renovation.
In the first year, the National Full Employment Trust Fund would
fund projects to:
- rehabilitate abandoned and vacant properties in foreclosure-impacted
neighborhoods;
- expand Head Start and day care programs;
- paint and repair schools; and
- expand emergency food programs to reduce hunger and promote
family stability.
In the second year and beyond, state and local governments would
be able to apply for a wide variety of locally-designed job creation
projects, based on community input and local needs.
The program will be open to individuals who are either 1) unemployed
for at least 26 weeks; or 2) unemployed for at least 30 days,
and low-income. Positions will be for up to 40 hours per week,
for at least 12 months. They will pay comparable or prevailing
wages for similar work performed in the private or public sectors,
and include employee benefits such as health coverage and vacation.
The bill’s provisions respect existing collective bargaining
agreements, and protect worker rights to join labor unions.
Two-thirds of the National Full Employment Trust Fund proceeds
would be directed to fund direct job creation, as outlined above.
One-third of the funding would be used to invest in job
training and development programs through the Workforce Investment
Act (WIA), including innovative job training programs such as
one-stop career centers, YouthBuild and Job Corps, among others.
HR 1000 would put Americans back to work right away generating
infrastructure and services that Americans want and need.
The bill will provide a lifeline to economically depressed neighborhoods
and regions, who have been all but abandoned by corporations and
the private sector. It will also help bring down the federal
deficit. For every 1 million unemployed people who
go back to work, the federal deficit decreases by $54 billion.
To get more information, and endorse HR 1000, please visit:
www.PutAmericaToWork.net
Or call Chuck Bell, Vice Chair, National Jobs for All Coalition
at (914) 830-0639.
You can help!!
- Contact Members of Congress and encourage them to
cosponsor HR 1000 Visit www.PutAmericaToWork.net
for more information about the bill and related federal legislation.
- Pass a Local Resolution in your city or country
government or local Labor Council in support a national jobs
program. Visit www.PutAmericaToWork.net
to download sample resolutions.
- Organize a picket or demonstration during June 2013
– National Jobs Action Month. For
example, you can organize a “First Friday” or “First
Saturday” vigil or demonstration in your community
to protest the high unemployment rate, and demand a national
jobs program. (The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics releases
new unemployment statistics on the First Friday of every month,
so you can piggyback on local coverage of the unemployment crisis.)
Develop a local coalition/network in support of a national jobs
program. Contact Logan Martinez of NJFAC for more information.
Loganmartinez2u@yahoo.com
or (937) 260-2591.
- Organize a Local Community Forum or “Citizens’
Hearings about the Unemployment Crisis.”
Invite unemployed and underemployed workers to speak about their
experiences. Invite nonprofit advocacy groups and social
service organizations, and local and national experts to talk
about the human costs of unemployment, and the need for a national
jobs program.
National Jobs For All Coalition, P.O Box
96, Lynbrook, NY 11563
203-856-3877 Web: www.njfac.org
• E-mail: njfac@njfac.org
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