How can Nebraska solve the problem of making new construction and maintenance start happening right now across rural Nebraska?
It is widely understood that Nebraska has a critical shortage of workers, including those with high-level construction skills. At the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission meeting Dec. 17, three construction workers testified, explaining the need for legal protections for their profession.
One mentioned knowing some construction workers who are homeless in Lincoln, even though they are working full-time, because of the very low wages they are getting. They are likely hired by third-party contractors. They don’t get worker’s compensation, so when they are injured at work, they lose their job, have no income and have no way to pay for emergency health care.
Nebraska also needs to get significant construction work done on infrastructure projects for which federal money is available, including for critical housing needs.
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Let me propose a program that would train construction workers while it addresses that housing shortage so the state can attract other workers.
All new construction and maintenance projects must plan how to attract workers for the construction sector by offering full-time, paid job training centered on the construction of quality low-cost housing and facilities for high-quality, subsidized child care in rural Nebraska.
How would this roll out?
If a project has 10 new workers, they will be joining experienced crews making the work on the new affordable housing and child care centers go more quickly, learning while they pitch in. And their pay will boost spending right here in rural Nebraska, as they buy groceries, gas, clothing, etc.
When the first 10 homes (new or refurbished) are ready, they will each be available to a local community to sweeten their job offers — for an important position they can’t fill right now — and 10 new families join Nebraska’s workforce. And this building cycle will continue.
Eligibility: Preference will be given to anyone age 18 or older willing to relocate to any rural area for a minimum of five years.
Benefits: Immediate temporary housing, perhaps in trailers. Paid training (coordinating community colleges, apprenticeships, etc.) including any needed language training or GED studies; wages well above $15/hour; workers compensation; unemployment benefits; access to adequate health care; help with child care and transportation; an option to eventually get help to buy one of the new houses.
Requirements: agree to live, perform quality work and participate in a local community for the next five years.
What’s needed:
Networking and cooperation among local leaders, town, county and state governments, nonprofits and businesses — for planning, problem-solving, fundraising, grant writing etc. Ho-Chunk Inc. has considerable relevant experience.
Goal: To maximize the returns on investment by sharing resources, cooperating to choose locations, with nonprofit associations to provide program management, services for new arrivals and other needs.
Could this be attractive to rural youths, so they would be able to make a good living where they grew up?
You can help by advocating for this plan, sharing the idea with friends. We can urge Open Sky Policy Institute and Nebraska Appleseed to take up the idea.
The impact on Nebraska’s rural economy three years out would be significant and sustainable, due to real economic multiplier effects.
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