Action Agenda
Economic forecasters warn that worker dislocation is far from over. Most trade protections for textiles and apparel were discontinued in 2005, for example, and those industries have continued to shed jobs. Longer term, whole industries are expected to rise and fall at a mind-boggling pace as the global economy becomes more and more integrated and as technology and marketing drive change at ever-increasing speeds. Similarly, workers starting out today are being told they can expect to change jobs five to seven times in the course of their careers. This contrasts markedly with their grandparents, who spent a lifetime working for the same company, and with their parents, who expected to do the same.
The Rural Center is committed to minimizing the pain that layoffs and plant closings inflict on North Carolina workers and their communities. Toward this end, it joined with partners statewide to focus attention on this issue and to craft a new, comprehensive response to the problems of economic dislocation. Working through 2004-05, these partners crafted an action agenda designed to prevent dislocation whenever possible and, when prevention failed, to meet the most urgent needs of affected workers, returning them as quickly as possible to full employment with income comparable to their pre-layoff wages. Their recommendations were released in April 2005 in the report Gaining a Foothold — An Action Agenda to Aid North Carolina's Dislocated Workers. Advocacy on behalf of the recommendations continues.
Work on the action agenda was been made possible by funding from the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, Michael and Laura Brader-Araje Foundation, N.C. Community Foundation and the Rural Center.
Dislocated Worker Summit
As a first step in the agenda-setting process, a daylong summit focused attention on the difficulties faced by laid-off workers.
Dislocated Worker Action Agenda
Following the summit, statewide partners joined the effort to develop new policies and adjust existing programs to improve service to dislocated workers.
- Project Leadership
- Rural Center Staff
Advisory Committee
Working Groups
