By Hailey Allen
Senior Communications Specialist
Public goods for the most public good is more than a slogan—it’s a mission and framework for how JMA builds a better world. A Local Hire Ordinance passed unanimously by the Birmingham, Alabama City Council in January is a perfect example.
Taxpayer dollars are funding the return of manufacturing to the United States through the $4 trillion coming down from Biden-era industrial policy, presenting the opportunity to leverage this public funding to ensure good for the most people. By ensuring funds are invested in high-road jobs, Birmingham policy makers and employers will promote economic stability, rather than a low-road alternative of high poverty despite low unemployment.
As part of the Local Hire Ordinance, contractors working on projects exceeding $3 million must hire 30% local labor, keeping dollars within the local economy. The ordinance incentivizes employing apprentices enrolled in state- and federally-approved training programs, and contractors are encouraged to collaborate with local workforce programs that target historically disadvantaged groups, ensuring that opportunities reach underrepresented communities. Over time, these provisions will build a higher-skilled, more self-sufficient workforce and address the labor market conditions leaving some communities behind.
Jobs to Move America (JMA) and the Local Opportunities Coalition were instrumental in developing the policy tools communities may use to create local economic empowerment through public funds. And in contrast to too many toothless provisions, the Birmingham ordinance includes accountability measures for outcomes transparency and disqualification for future city contracts for failure to comply. Compliance language means that once a contractor has made promises, they will make good faith efforts to actually keep those promises.
In the face of an unstable national economy and rising cost of living, the city of Birmingham is making strides toward taking control of its own economic future. Contractors will now engage community stakeholders in creating Local Hiring Plans that proactively address past disparities in access to economic opportunity.
We encourage cities nationwide to emulate this model. Jobs to Move America, through our Local Opportunities Coalition, stands ready to assist. Our coalition offers policy expertise, strategic guidance, and community partnerships to support the development of equitable hiring plans that drive sustainable economic growth. Learn more at localopportunities.org.