There have been two million jobs lost in America since President Bush took office in 2001. Obviously the program designed by the government to help low-income workers secure jobs is not working.

The Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is supposed to provide job placement and job training for low- wage workers. While it is conceptually on target, first-year data and community-group run testing finds WIA is falling short of meeting its goals. In addition, research done by the National Training and Information Center (NTIC) has found that many WIA agencies utilize the temporary staffing industry. Contrary to WIA’s stated goal of improving the quality of the workforce and reducing welfare dependency, referring job seekers to temporary and day labor agencies indicates that WIA is using a work-first approach and embracing the idea that any job is a good job.
WIA has also failed to adequately involve community organizations who understand the real issues facing low-wage workers.

NTIC’s research also found that when community groups get involved, local WIA implementation is improved. When services and job training is truly available through WIA, people are able to get out of low-wage jobs and get the education and training they need.

Instead of partnering with community groups, the Department of Labor formed a partnership with Manpower, the second largest temporary and day labor agency in the world. Manpower is known for keeping workers "permanently-temporary" through low wages, no benefits, and no career advancement.

The 2004 NPA Jobs Team wants to establish a relationship with the DOL by having labor officials visit NPA groups in their cities and see their proven efforts to create permanent job opportunities for low-wage workers.

NPA groups want Manpower to end its relationship with crooked day labor agencies that it uses as subcontractors, and to work with youth groups to create more summer jobs.

To accomplish these goals, NPA groups have a meeting with a DOL representative on Saturday night and a Sunday workshop with confirmed guest, Branka Minic, Manpower’s Director of Workforce Development.

“DOL has made a mistake (by partnering with Manpower). They need to get input from community groups to make WIA work,” said Randy Smith a member of the San Lucas Workers Center in Chicago. “No Bureaucrat, or ‘suit,’ can tell a worker who has been on the frontlines every day, how a program should work. I want Manpower to realistically change things for low- wage workers and to do that they need to come down and see what it's like in the trenches.”

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