New Progressive Campaign Puts Federal Jobs Guarantee Front-And-Center
A new progressive campaign is in the planning stages to mount a fight against unemployment. Called the "Fight For FJG" (Federal Jobs Guarantee), the basic premise is that to be a productive member of society, to be given the dignity and autonomy of personhood and respected as a contributing member of society, it should be recognized that a job is a human right. "Fight For FJG" plans to take this fight center-stage...
I spoke with Johnny Akzam, the former progressive candidate for MN's 1st Congressional District who is leading the project. He addressed Rep. Ro Khanna's compromise "Jobs For All" bill, which he referred to as a "corporate giveaway", and, "another ACA" (referring to the corporate giveaway that Barack Obama made from the healthcare industry). The bill introduced by Khanna, The "Promising Jobs For All" bill, is no such thing, but rather offers subsidies to employers to hire temp and part-time workers, to but decrease the unemployment rate, while contending with the caveats of corporatocracy and its subsequent interests. The policy advocated for by "Fight For FJG" is much more decisive...
"We need people cleaning the streets, we need people rebuilding our infrastructure, and people need the work. What are we doing?", he asked, half-way through the 3-hour phone conversation. He's right. Politicians pine over the need to transition to renewable energy, complain that our infrastructure is "crumbling", and, all the while, wax eloquent about "creating jobs". The jobs do not need to be created. They are everywhere that society has a need for betterment. The concept of guaranteeing work as a right is not far-fetched in light of the massive task before us in renewable and sustainable energy. We need builders, mechanics, technicians, planners, etc. Not only is this an entire industry of necessary labor that needs to be filled, but one inundated with medium and high-skilled labor requirements. More than sufficient entry-level jobs would also need to be created, rebuilding the infrastructure, and, while one could wax eloquent for hours about the benefits of employing the remaining portion of the work force mending infrastructure and society, these points should by now be self-evident.
Mr. Akzam also expressed the desire to reach out to other activist groups, such as MMT activists and educators, and express the implications of the shared interests between progressive groups. He wishes to work alongside the "Fight For $15" as well, for, as he stated, paraphrasing, A Federal Jobs Guarantee provides a 'floor', so that private companies wishing to keep employees would have to complete with the $15/hr federally paid employees would be receiving. While it is true that this provides incentives to companies to raise both wages and benefits, forcing them to compete with a strong federally funded labor force, it should also be considered that not all industry sectors will have federally employed counterparts, and long-earned skill sets may not be easily transferable. This must go hand-in-hand therefore with an extensive training program. While the pundit with conservative tendencies may lament the initial start-up costs, the implications of guaranteeing a decent-paying job to every American would almost eliminate the need for food stamps, almost completely annihilate welfare, and other bloated band-aid programs, and no doubt with rising wages from the bottom up (and the acknowledgement that crime and poverty are interconnected), would subsequently observe a massive decline in crime rates, etc. Thusfar assisting the budding campaign are former progressive candidates Angelica Earl (former candidate for Senator in Missouri), Lisa McCormick (former candidate for Senator in New Jersey), Sema Hernandez (former Democratic primary challenger to Beto O'Rourke in TX), Jabari Morris, a progressive writer for "Real Progressives", Joshua Cantrell (activist/organizer), and others.