Region Has Seen its Union Labor Force Reduced As in much of the country, the Pioneer Valley has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs in recent decades. Increasingly, the workforce is focused in the service sector, particularly health care. The sector is largely unorganized. Much of the new workforce at these corporations is people of color. Some estimate that within 10 years, Springfield itself will have a majority of non-white residents.
Many Whites continue to move out of the central city area.
Nonetheless, the region has retained a strong union labor force, with over 30,000 union members in Hampden County, where Springfield is located. The Central Labor Council is strong and progressive, and has long been far- sighted regarding the need to build alliances with community and church organizations. Recognizing the shared interests, several unions committed early on to join in sponsoring and developing the Pioneer Valley Project. The AFL-CIO is focusing nationally on barriers and resistance which corporations mount against union organizing efforts, and has declared the Right to Organize a top priority over the next several years. On paper, the U.S. is committed to protecting the legal right of employees to organize.