WIN Annual Reports 2015 Annual Report | Page 11

WIN Green City , Green Jobs Demands
• A fair percentage of all DC Water jobs should go to DC residents ; a majority of new “ green ” jobs should go to DC residents
• Use of labor intensive green wastewater management strategies rather than machine intensive concrete tunnel ones to achieve the mandated 96 % reduction in sewer overflows and flooding
• Creation of a stepping stone from " green " stormwater runoff jobs to careers in construction for DC residents living in high unemployment areas , young people , and returning citizens
WIN Victories in 2015
On May 20 , 2015 , as a result of WIN ’ s organizing , DC Water , the DC Mayor ' s office , the EPA , and the US Department of Justice announced a Memorandum of Agreement ( MOA ) that significantly modified the Federal court consent decree ’ s requirements for how storm water pollution must be managed and mitigated . The modifications were along the lines of WIN ’ s " green " demands :
• Replacement of one of the proposed massive gray stormwater reservoir tunnels with $ 90 million in green infrastructure , thereby creating up to 200 green Infrastructure jobs ( with more to be created by private sector mandates )
• A goal of 51 % local hiring on DC Water ’ s “ Green Infrastructure ” work and on ALL DC Water work
• A commitment to provide at least $ 1.25 million of training for Green Infrastructure and construction careers
• Creation of a National Green Worker Certification Program
We cannot be absolutely certain , but believe this ground-breaking agreement may be the first of its kind across the whole country .
WIN ’ s 2016 Jobs Strategy
WIN ’ s jobs strategy for 2016 will be to build upon its green jobs victory in 2015 and also to expand it to cover other areas of employment in the District that are likely to lead to living wage jobs for DC residents in need of them . WIN ’ s organizing will focus on :
• Ensuring that the first class of DC Water Green Infrastructure trainees includes returning citizens and DC residents from high unemployment zones and that the trained workers ultimately end up in living wage jobs , as committed to by DC Water and Mayor Bowser
• Pressing for increased wage and benefits for privatized transit workers , such as the DC Circulator and MetroAccess workers , to make them comparable to those enjoyed by area public transit workers
• Initiating a campaign to ensure that returning citizens and DC residents from high-unemployment neighborhoods have access to jobs in DC ’ s growing hospitality industry .
In these DC neighborhoods unemployment is 150 % of the national average
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