Jobs, On-the-Job Earn While You Learn Training, and Apprenticeships for African-American Young Men Act

Summary: Jobs, On-the-Job "Earn While You Learn" Training, and Apprenticeships for African-American Young Men Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to request labor unions, general contractors, and businesses that will rebuild infrastructure, transportation systems, technology and computer networks, and energy distribution systems to actively recruit, hire, and provide on-the-job training to African American men ages 18 to 39 through existing jobs, apprenticeships, and "earn while you learn" programs. Labor must help coordinate such recruitment.  The jobs, training, and apprenticeships must be conducted in conjunction with Labor, labor unions and associations involved in infrastructure rebuilding, and the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Labor unions, contractors, and businesses involved with such infrastructure or systems must recruit by seeking assistance from the African American community, churches, the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 100 Black Men of America, high school and college job placement offices, and media outlets.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Jobs, On-the-Job `Earn While You 
Learn' Training, and Apprenticeships for African-American Young Men 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) African-American young men ages 18 to 39 are the 
        hardest hit in unemployment, with an unemployment rate of 41 
        percent nationally, and in some States and cities, especially 
        inner cities, higher than 50 percent;
            (2) this extraordinarily high unemployment rate has a 
        terrible rippling impact on the breakdown of the family 
        structure, as men in this age group are in the primary child-
        producing ages; and
            (3) an unemployment rate of 40 to 50 percent among African-
        American young men, many of who are fathers who, without jobs, 
        and are unable to provide for their families, is not only a 
        national crisis but a national tragedy.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to secure jobs, on-the-job 
training, and apprenticeships for African-American young men ages 18 to 
39 with the labor unions, general contractors, and businesses who will 
rebuild the Nation's crumbling infrastructure in cities and communities 
throughout the Nation.

SEC. 3. URGING EMPLOYMENT, ON-THE-JOB TRAINING, AND APPRENTICESHIPS FOR 
              UNEMPLOYED AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUNG MEN IN REBUILDING THE 
              NATION'S CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor shall strongly and urgently 
request those labor unions, general contractors, and businesses, who 
will rebuild the Nation's crumbling infrastructure, transportation 
systems, technology and computer networks, and energy distribution 
systems, to actively recruit, hire, and provide on-the-job training to 
African-American young men ages 18 to 39 through their existing jobs, 
apprenticeships, and ``earn while you learn'' programs. The Secretary 
shall provide assistance to such labor unions, general contractors, and 
businesses through every means available to help coordinate the 
recruitment of such individuals for such jobs, on-the-job training, and 
apprenticeships.
    (b) Coordination.--The jobs, on-the-job training, and 
apprenticeships made available by labor unions, general contractors, 
and businesses described in subsection (a) shall be conducted in 
conjunction with the Secretary of Labor and the labor unions and other 
associations which have been identified as those primarily involved in 
the infrastructure rebuilding described in such subsection, including 
the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the United 
Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe 
Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, the International 
Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron 
Workers Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National 
Electrical Contractors Association, the International Association of 
Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), the 
Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), the 
International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and the United 
Steelworkers (USW). Such coordination shall also be done in conjunction 
with the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, which 
allows apprentices to earn while they learn.
    (c) Recruitment.--The labor unions, general contractors, and 
businesses described in subsections (a) and (b) shall recruit African-
American young men for the jobs, on-the-job training, and 
apprenticeships described in subsection (a) by reaching out and seeking 
assistance from within the African-American community, churches, the 
National Urban League, the NAACP, 100 Black Men of America, high school 
and college job placement offices, media outlets, and other African-
American organizations that can offer valuable assistance to the 
Secretary of Labor, the labor unions, general contractors, and 
businesses with identifying, locating, and contacting unemployed 
African-American young men who want jobs, on-the-job training, and 
apprenticeships. These African-American organizations have a long and 
rich history of working to improve the lives of African-Americans, and 
can be very helpful in successfully reaching, contacting, and 
recruiting unemployed African-American young men.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that this Act--
            (1) while rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of this 
        great Nation, will simultaneously help create good paying jobs 
        and job training that will provide African-American young men 
        ages 18 to 39 with the technical skills, computer capabilities, 
        and other skills necessary in this high technology-driven job 
        market, thus providing African-American young men with highly 
        developed skills that will make them very competitive and 
        attractive to many employers; and
            (2) greatly exemplifies and strengthens the high nobility 
        of purpose that is the founding grace of this great Nation.