Green Jobs

AGC of America takes very seriously the construction industry's key role in developing a green economy and supports inclusion of a broad array of construction projects and workers in the definitions of "green jobs."

Wind Energy Workforce Development Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind & Water Power Program released a draft plan for workforce development for the U.S. wind industry and asked for comments. AGC provided feedback on the plan, which AGC feels is focused too narrowly since most workers in the wind sector of the energy industry will need core construction, manufacturing or energy industry skills with, possibly, some additional green training in order to work in the wind sector of the power–generation industry.

BLS Finalizes Green Definition

In September 2010, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced its final definition of green jobs and its refined plan to collect data on the number, occupational, industrial, and geographic distribution of green jobs across the nation.

AGC of America submitted comments that ask the BLS to re-think its intentions, based on what we believe is a misunderstanding of the nature of work in the construction industry and a flawed premise that amorphous green jobs can be quantified. We are disappointed in the final definition and planned survey, which will exclude many “green” construction workers.

The complete September 21, 2010, notice in the Federal Register, along with an overview of the complete project to define and collect information on green jobs, is available on the BLS website

Background

  • The Obama Administration is heavily focused on creating green jobs. While AGC is happy to help with these efforts, we favor a definition of "green jobs" that includes all types of green construction, such as construction of new green buildings, and that does not favor any labor posture.

AGC's Message

  • Oppose Federal Measures that Give a Preference to Either Open-Shop or Union Contractors. The Green Jobs Act, which was signed into law as an amendment to the Workforce Investment Act, requires that training fund grants issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) only be awarded to entities that "partner with labor organizations," effectively excluding 86% of the private sector construction workforce. The American Recovery Reinvestment Act included $500 million in training funds to be awarded through the Green Jobs Act.
  • Support Federal Measures that Open Training Opportunities to All Quality Programs. AGC supports the Green Jobs Act amendment, introduced by Congressman Kline in 2008 and expected to be reintroduced shortly in 2009, that would eliminate the mandate in the Green Jobs Act that eligible training entities "partner with labor organizations." AGC is working to get the amendment passed before DOL grants solicitations are made in mid-2009. Under the amendment, joint-labor management training programs would still qualify for the grants, as would open shop training programs.
  • Support Federal Efforts to Create a More Environmentally Efficient Infrastructure. The amendment to the Green Jobs Act will allow it to achieve its stated goals of supporting quality workforce training for good paying careers while also promoting more environmentally efficient buildings, equipment, and infrastructure.
  • Encourage "Green" Training for Construction Employees at All Levels, as Needed. The skilled trades and professionals workers in the construction industry strongly support the concept of "green jobs" training, as it meets the growing demand within the marketplace as well as helps fill the worker shortage that continues to confront our industry as the bulk of the current worker population nears retirement age.

Additional Information