In order to build and secure sustainable and environmentally sound economic development for the 21st century in SE Massachusetts’s communities, development should be rooted in the following principles:

* Significant community and labor voice in shaping development decisions
* Accessible and affordable public transportation
* Environmentally positive development
* Workers have the right to organize without fear or obstacle
* Living and sustainable wage
* Safe and healthy workplace
* Accessible, affordable healthcare
* Accessible, affordable childcare
* Job Benefits include retirement and paid time off, including paid sick and family leave

Economic development policy initiatives must create and retain “good jobs”. These initiatives must have clear goals and employers who benefit from public resources and economic development initiatives must be held accountable to providing good jobs.

Emphasis on Training and Education

Workers need and deserve accessible and quality training and education to maintain their skills in the changing economy. The state, cities, and towns, along with the business community, must provide the resources and opportunities for workers to continue upgrading their skills, including apprenticeship programs. Training should prepare workers for quality jobs with career ladders and not dead-end jobs that don’t pay a living wage. In addition, training should provide portable skills rather than skills limited to one company.

Economic development must preserve, protect, and harmonize with the environment. Economic development must improve conservation of the land and resources and employ healthy, safe, and efficient renewable technologies.

Any public funded or supported economic development committee or planning agency must include meaningful numbers of labor and community representatives chosen by their respective organizations.

Workers, residents, and community organizations have traditionally play a very limited role, if any, in shaping our economic future. This has kept us on the “outside looking in”. Economic development responds to corporate interests whose primary goal is making money rather than providing for the welfare of workers and our community. This creates a growing wage gap between the owners, the producers, and the consumers. Corporate influence and profits grow while our incomes and communities decline.

We need an economic development policy that puts improving the standards of people and our environment first - not last. We need a policy that gives our community more power over its economic engine and improves the economic, social, political and spiritual well being of its residents. We need a policy that encourages alternative forms of business; including worker owned and operated enterprises, consumer and producer co-ops. We need a policy which supports a progressive tax structure and the delivery and expansion of public services.

Immigrant Support Rally - March 17, 2007

Future of Work

Immigrant workers' rallies in New Bedford - Labor Center played a role in the coalition


Future of Work Conference on the future of the Labor movement

Regional Future of Work Meeting, March 2005 with Barney Frank