I have worked on job training and job creation programs for over 15 years. I have helped train and place residents in the new 21st district in green jobs—including ex-offenders, those with language barriers and others from high- poverty areas. I understand that unemployment is more than a problem for those out of work. As a lifetime resident of Little Village, I have seen communities torn apart as families and children lose their means of support and have their houses foreclosed-on. This economic crisis is also a social crisis. There is no one sector, or one solution to this problem. As your State Representative, I will work with small businesses, large industries, non-profits and communities to ensure government does its part to create jobs, ensure a quality education and provide the social supports needed to ensure families not only survive, but thrive.
Illinois families and communities have been hit hard by a declining and unstable economy, lack of jobs, and the rising cost of health care and other necessities. Two years after the official recession ended, Illinois’ unemployment rate (as of September 2011) is 9.9%—higher than the national average and double the state’s unemployment rate in December 2007. The unemployment rate for Latino youth is 12%—up from only 5% in 2007. In the Chicago Metropolitan area, the rate is 10.4%. Communities in our district—including Pilsen and Little Village—have been devastated by depression era rates as high as 20%.
My Policy Priorities Include:
Building Communities, Creating Jobs: As the economy has declined, our communities have decayed. We must rebuild our roads, schools, parks and power lines to revive our communities and create jobs. As your State Representative, I will ensure the state invests in our infrastructure and in our communities. This will not only make our district more safe and sustainable, but will put people to work. I will ensure our district gets its fair share of Obama’s new American Jobs Act funds. I will work with contractors and unions to ensure safe and fair working conditions and living wages. And I will support local hiring agreements to ensure the work in our district, stays in our district.
Fair Pay, Good Jobs: Hard work deserves fair pay—with benefits. Illinois’ living wage has not kept up with the cost of living or inflation. Labor rights have been attacked. And pensions have been threatened. As your State Representative, I will be a voice for working people. I will fight against the exploitation of immigrant workers and for equitable pay for women. I will support legislation to ensure everyone is able to work in a safe environment, organize without intimidation, collective bargaining rights, and earn a fair wage to support their families—and I will be a vocal opponent to any attempts to strip Illinoisans of these rights.
Educated Workforce: We must equip an educated and skilled workforce to meet the needs of employers and keep jobs in our communities. While drop-out rates are too high, even those that graduate are too often not prepared for employment. As your State Representative, I will help improve our public schools and our city college system to ensure students are learning to do more than pass tests, but excel in life. I will support job training and employment programs for youth and adults. I will build on model programs like the Instituto Health Science Career Academy—to train and place workers into health field jobs—to work with high-road employers in growth sectors, including health and green industries, to invest in and help create effective education and training programs to develop a pipeline from Chicago’s education system directly into jobs and careers.
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