On Feb. 19, the Los Angeles Workforce Systems Collaborative (LAWSC), convened by UNITE-LA, sent a letter to President Biden with recommendations for the next stimulus package focused on recovery. The letter expressed support for the recently passed $1.9 trillion rescue plan while focusing on specific suggestions to:

• improve communities and stimulate the economy through infrastructure investments, and
• an accompanying comprehensive workforce development strategy to ensure students and workers are better prepared for in-demand jobs.

In the letter, the LAWSC emphasized the need to prioritize supporting workers who disproportionately lost jobs and wages due to the pandemic - women, people of color, opportunity youth (youth and young adults disconnected from school and work and/or are systems-involved), and those who experience systemic barriers to living wage employment.