AT ISSUE

	71% Percent of young people (16-24) out-of-school and out-of-work in America's 10 largest cities who are either Black or Latino Get the facts behind the figures		Working Cities The 2008 presidential election offers a unique opportunity to advance an agenda on behalf of the  working poor in urban America. The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have launched "Working Cities," a forum series with candidates for President of the United States. In unrehearsed conversations with leading candidates, CSS and Local 32BJ are working to advance an economic mobility agenda  in the 2008  election. In urban communities, large and small, across the nation we find workers mired in low-wage jobs with no health care, large numbers of Black men who are jobless, and young people, age 16 to 24, who are out of school and out of work. Please share with us your views of the candidates and offer your perspective on what is necessary to move low-income workers into better wage and benefit employment, and grow good-wage jobs in America.
			Respond to this Issue View Contributor Comments on this Issue View Community Responses to this Issue

Contributors Comments by - make a selection - All Contributors David R. Jones David R. Jones President & CEO, CSS Tiime for a Real Agenda for the Working Poor For New York to remain a global city – for it to remain competitive in the economic world of the 21st century - it must be both a livable city and a city with a continuous supply of workers adequately educated and trained to take their places in our service-oriented economy. Research at the Community Service Society (CSS) has revealed that we are not even close to preparing our workforce. The extent of Black male joblessness – with numbers approaching 40 percent of working age men – shocked even those of us who have been aware of this dilemma for some time. CSS research also identified a vast number of “disconnected youth” in our city, almost 170,000 young men and women 16 to 24 years of age, mostly Black and Latino, who are neither in the workforce nor in school. As with so many of New York’s problems, these symptoms of poverty are national problems. Urban poverty in America has become entrenched – it is systemic – and fixing it will require enormous amounts of time, effort, and expense. Respond to this comment View Community Responses to this comment   Become a Contributor

Community Responses: View All No community responses yet. Become a Turnstile Member  Public Responses: View All No public responses yet. Write a response