In 2011, the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce organized two national Workforce Days of Action, calling on individuals and organizations across the country to stand up for investments in America’s workers and industries. In March and in August, thousands stood united with the Campaign in support of adequate funding for workforce education and training programs.

Workforce Week of Action | August 15-19, 2011

As part of National Workforce Week of Action, members of the business community, labor, education and training programs, and the public sector came together across the nation August 15-19, 2011, to stand up for investments in America’s workers and industries. In meetings with Members of Congress, in the press, and through social media, the workforce community urged policymakers to support adequate funding for workforce education and training programs—and your voices were heard!

Just a few of the week’s highlights include:

• In-District Meetings and Site Visits
  Across the country, diverse stakeholders met with Members of Congress and their staff to urge them to oppose funding cuts for federal education and training programs in the FY 2012 budget. The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) organized a site visit for Senator Claire McCaskill to demonstrate the important role of education and training services in the community. In Milwaukee, members of the Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board organized a meeting with Congressional staff from the offices of Senators Herb Kohl and Ron Johnson and Congresswoman Gwen Moore, while the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board welcomed Senator Kohl during his visit to Ocean Spray Cranberries in Wisconsin Rapids where he spoke about job creation efforts. And in Chicago, the Illinois Workforce Partnership arranged a site visit for Senator Dick Durbin at the Elgin, IL unemployment office where he met with clients and spoke about the importance of job training.
• Media Coverage
  Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board Chairman LeRoy Forslund penned an op-ed piece in the Ashland Current about the impact additional funding cuts would have on workforce services in Wisconsin, while Frank Harkins, CEO/President of Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast, wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News calling on all Americans to contact their representatives to “remind them that job training is crucial to the future of America’s workforce.”
• Social Media
  Workforce Week of Action co-sponsors and other supporters used social media to spread the message about the week’s activities, offering suggestions and ways for individuals to weigh in with policymakers. Through Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #wkdev, hundreds of people posted, tweeted, and retweeted comments in support of funding for education and training programs, including Senator Sherrod Brown and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Workforce Day of Action | March 24, 2011

On March 24, 2011, representatives from business, labor, education and training programs, and the public sector took part in meetings with Members of Congress, press conferences, site visits and rallies in over 30 states. As part of a national Workforce Day of Action, thousands voiced united opposition to funding cuts for federal education and training programs. Organized by the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce, the Workforce Day of Action was a coordinated effort to urge Congress not to eliminate funding for workforce programs, which play a vital role in the nation’s economic recovery and states’ job creation efforts. Below are a few highlights from the event.

• Rallies
  In Los Angeles, hundreds joined Mayor Villaraigosa at a rally organized by a broad coalition of groups, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, to protest cuts to job training and other programs under HR 1. In Chicago, Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) addressed over a hundred business, labor, and community leaders protesting the House attack at a rally organized by the Chicago Federation of Labor. In Milwaukee, Representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) participated in a standing room only press conference sponsored by the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board.
• Op-Eds
  Business leaders and other stakeholders in Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Ohio, Oregon and Kentucky penned op-ed columns addressing the impact of slashing workforce funding.
• In-District Meetings and Site Visits
  Diverse stakeholders met with lawmakers and their staff to urge them to support continued investments in training and employment programs and to demonstrate the impact of job training.