In 2017, our community-labor coalition in Illinois signed a Community Benefits Agreement with railcar manufacturer CRRC. This CBA committed our coalition and CRRC to establishing a jobs pipeline, which will bring together community stakeholders and unions to recruit, train, and hire workers in Chicago who face systemic barriers to employment. After completing a pre-apprenticeship program, workers will begin manufacturing railcars at the CRRC plant and receive union certification.
Our coalition is hard at work establishing a jobs pipeline rooted in the needs of marginalized workers. The pipeline includes resources and referrals, a new railcar pre-apprenticeship program, and on-the-job transferable manufacturing certifications. The majority of workers are expected to be hired in early to mid-2021.