Sponsors (3)
The bill increases flexibility to concentrate WIOA funding and expands which labor organizations and workers are eligible to participate—potentially improving training access for union-affiliated workers—but risks diverting funds from other participant groups, shifting program priorities, imposing new costs on employers, and creating legal and administrative uncertainty.
Unemployed jobseekers and state workforce boards: State workforce development boards can shift up to 30% (instead of 20%) of WIOA funds into the specified program, increasing available funding for job training and employment services.
Union-affiliated workers (including previously excluded public employees, railroad, and agricultural workers): These workers would be recognized as part of 'labor organization' under WIOA, improving their access to WIOA programs and services.
Labor federations and state/municipal labor bodies: Explicit coverage lets collective labor organizations participate in WIOA-funded workforce planning and grant programs, enabling broader stakeholder involvement in program design.
Unemployed workers and other WIOA participant groups: Raising the cap to 30% would reduce the share of funds available for other WIOA activities or populations that previously relied on the remaining funds, potentially cutting services for some groups.
Training providers and some participant groups: States may reallocate funds or priorities in ways that advantage certain programs or providers and disadvantage others, harming providers or populations that lose funding or slots.
Employers (federal, state/local, rail, and agricultural) and local governments: Expanding the definition of 'labor organization' could increase employer engagement or bargaining-related obligations tied to workforce programs, raising administrative burden and costs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Raises a WIOA allocation/limit from 20% to 30% and expands WIOA's definition of "labor organization" to include federations and certain previously excluded worker groups.
Increases a WIOA percentage allocation from 20% to 30%, expands the statutory definition of “labor organization” to include labor federations and certain groups otherwise excluded under the NLRA, and makes an unspecified amendment to another WIOA provision. The change would shift how state workforce development boards allocate or limit certain resources and explicitly allows a broader set of labor organizations to be treated as ‘‘labor organizations’’ under WIOA rules. The bill directly affects state and local workforce boards, organized labor and labor federations, and groups of workers who previously were excluded from the NLRA definition (including some federal employees, Railway Labor Act–covered employees, and agricultural laborers) by bringing them within WIOA’s labor-organization rules. One section references an amendment but does not provide the new text, leaving that change unclear.
Official title: To expand labor representation on State and local workforce development boards, to provide a definition of labor organization, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 20, 2025 by Mikie Sherrill · Last progress January 20, 2025