News
ITLC Visits Philadelphia for USDOL Convening
Posted October 2023
As part of the U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) "ETA Vision 2030," ITLC’s Executive Director Jack Clark visited Philadelphia in mid-September to lead a panel on "Joint Labor and Management Partnership Solutions to Public Transit Workforce Needs," highlighting joint labor-management strategies designed to recruit, hire, train, and retain front-line workers in transit. Jack was joined by Cape Cod's Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA) General Administrator Kathy Jensen, and General Manager John Kennedy, along with the Amalgamated Transit Union’s (ATU) Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson who all spoke about ATU Local 1548 and Cape Cod RTA's partnership work, focusing on their bus operator recruitment initiatives aimed at seniors. Participants also heard from the Maryland Department of Transportation's Program Manager Brandee Gross, ATU Local 1300's President/Business Agent Michael McMillan, and Assistant Business Agent Devin Clinton, who described how they worked together to develop their new joint apprenticeship program for mechanics.
Afterwards, the panelists engaged in lively discussion responding to questions about adapting, expanding, and evolving their program. For instance, Baltimore is using these current apprenticeship programs to reach out to disadvantaged community residents, particularly young people. While Cape Cod, after successfully engaging older workers, is reaching out to schools on career awareness. Audience members, primarily workforce development professionals working with USDOL, expressed their appreciation for learning more about good jobs in transit and labor-management partnerships.
