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Labor Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition

Labor Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition

Full Title: Labor Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition
Author(s): Wesley Look, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, Daniel Propp
Publisher(s): Resources for the Future, Environmental Defense Fund
Publication Date: March 16, 2021
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

Workers and communities that are heavily dependent on fossil fuel economies—including the production of coal, oil, and natural gas—are likely to experience disruptions in the status quo as society addresses climate change through the advancement of clean energy alternatives. This report reviews a range of federal (and some state) workforce development policies and labor standards designed to ensure fairness for workers and communities during this transition to a low-carbon economy—what some refer to as “just transition.”

This report is one of a series that has examined various tools to support workers and communities in transition, including economic development policies, infrastructure and environmental remediation policies, and the array of policies that make up the broader social safety net in the United States. Here, we focus on programs and policies that explicitly seek to aid workers in securing stable, family-supporting jobs. We examine programs led by the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and other agencies. We identify the administrative structures, funding levels, and major mechanisms through which these programs are delivered, and we review evidence of their effectiveness where possible.

All statements and/or propositions in discussion prompts are meant exclusively to stimulate discussion and do not represent the views of OurEnergyPolicy.org, its Partners, Topic Directors or Experts, nor of any individual or organization. Comments by and opinions of Expert participants are their own.

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