Could it be? Do we FINALLY have leadership that gets the job situation around here?

[brizee]

An interesting look at the way Duggan/his team will be going about attacking the jobless problem around here.

In the past, Detroit city officials worked to create jobs mainly as a consequence of big development projects, such as the new Meijer and Whole Foods groceries that opened last year in the city, or by attracting suburban employers to downtown, including Quicken Loans and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Lewand said the city will now take a greater hand in training unemployed workers for jobs.

“We’re focusing on jobs for Detroiters, not just economic development,” he said.

I'm glad someone has finally recognized you can't swing for the homerun every single time.

Megasites are nice but they can be found anywhere.

Manufacturing is never ever ever ever coming back.

-Also interesting that they might be getting Tiger Stadium developed soon.

-He can throw that future city plan right in the toilet, but hey not everyone is perfect.

Just an observation. Having just one month of Duggan v 4.5 years of Bing. Just what king of Quisling was that man? My destructive pigheaded short temper having 2 year old nephew couldn't have ran this city as bad as Bing did.

[Honky Tonk]

It certainly does look and sound hopeful, but we'll see how things shake out in a few months. I'm not a defender, but don't forget Bing worked under totally different circumstances. The City Council sat down, dug their heels in, and said "Hell no". Right now they're the silent majority. Orr gave Duggan a wide berth and free reign, [[to a point). He needs to take advantage of this time, to get his show together. We'll see what happens once the hounds are released.

[daddeeo]

Honeymoon period is the time to make a good [[and sometimes lasting) impression with everyone. Positive results speak volumes though.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

The true test of his leadership will come once the EM is long gone and Duggan has full control and accountability over the City.

[Hypestyles]

There should be a localized version of the WPA o rCivilian Conservation Corps. All the various blight/ infrastructure related issues can be targeted for jobs for city residents. The city has to address its demographic of unskilled and semi-skilled unemployed population. On a side note, this should also include the ex-offender population.

[corktownyuppie]

It certainly does look and sound hopeful, but we'll see how things shake out in a few months. I'm not a defender, but don't forget Bing worked under totally different circumstances. The City Council sat down, dug their heels in, and said "Hell no". Right now they're the silent majority. Orr gave Duggan a wide berth and free reign, [[to a point). He needs to take advantage of this time, to get his show together. We'll see what happens once the hounds are released.

Exactly. It's hard to compare Bing and Duggan. When Bing was here, the EM was merely an abstract threat that no one thought would come to fruition. It was just obstacles at every pathway.

Duggan has the opposite, and it's an advantage. Let's band together to make it so that the EM is gone, and the best way to do that is to get results. Oh, and by the way, he has final authority, so let's save the obstructionism for another day and another time, everyone.

[jt1]

Exactly. It's hard to compare Bing and Duggan. When Bing was here, the EM was merely an abstract threat that no one thought would come to fruition. It was just obstacles at every pathway.

Duggan has the opposite, and it's an advantage. Let's band together to make it so that the EM is gone, and the best way to do that is to get results. Oh, and by the way, he has final authority, so let's save the obstructionism for another day and another time, everyone.

I don't agree with people giving Bing a pass. The guy did nothing to improve the budget, services, etc. He gets a pass from people locally but he didn't do squat. Impediments or not, much of the city declined under his watch.

It also doesn't help that he retained much of KKs staff.

[Meddle]

There should be a localized version of the WPA o rCivilian Conservation Corps. All the various blight/ infrastructure related issues can be targeted for jobs for city residents.

The city employees unions wouldn't stand for that.

It doesn't take skilled labor to clean out alleys downtown or run lawn mowers in parks however.

[brizee]

I don't agree with people giving Bing a pass. The guy did nothing to improve the budget, services, etc. He gets a pass from people locally but he didn't do squat. Impediments or not, much of the city declined under his watch.

It also doesn't help that he retained much of KKs staff.

It's another myth in the making around these parts. Big bad city council hamstrung poor old Dave Bing.

The man was shit in hands incompetent.

Let's not sugarcoat just how HORRIBLE he was.

[Wesley Mouch]

It certainly does look and sound hopeful, but we'll see how things shake out in a few months. I'm not a defender, but don't forget Bing worked under totally different circumstances. The City Council sat down, dug their heels in, and said "Hell no". Right now they're the silent majority. Orr gave Duggan a wide berth and free reign, [[to a point). He needs to take advantage of this time, to get his show together. We'll see what happens once the hounds are released.

Hounds...? Maybe pigs...?

Bing may not have been the best, but the circumstances do matter. Taking on job as mayor on the heels of Kwame and roaring into EM/bankruptcy-land is about as bad a deck as can be dealt. A new captain for the Titanic AFTER the iceberg wouldn't have saved the ship. The Titanic sunk because of what happened BEFORE the iceberg was sighted. Good leadership includes reaction to circumstances, but more crucially includes making good decisions about how to detect icebergs.

[Honky Tonk]

The city employees unions wouldn't stand for that.

It doesn't take skilled labor to clean out alleys downtown or run lawn mowers in parks however.

oh contraire!

[Wesley Mouch]

The city employees unions wouldn't stand for that.

It doesn't take skilled labor to clean out alleys downtown or run lawn mowers in parks however.

Of course they won't. Nor should they. It is their job to maximize employment. They have the force of law behind them. We designed labor law badly and as a result, it is often the case that management cannot modernize a workforce because doing so involves changes to 'terms of employment' that can only be made through 'bargaining in good faith'.

I'm OK with good pay and benefits. But I'm not OK with labor unions & laws determining job duties / work rules, except as regards safety.

Citizens should change the laws to encourage modernization of unionized work. Then you may see amazing increases in government productivity [[and quite likely in pay too).

[Detroitnerd]

Citizens should change the laws to encourage modernization of unionized work. Then you may see amazing increases in government productivity [[and quite likely in pay too).

.................

[coracle]

Of course they won't. Nor should they. It is their job to maximize employment. They have the force of law behind them. We designed labor law badly and as a result, it is often the case that management cannot modernize a workforce because doing so involves changes to 'terms of employment' that can only be made through 'bargaining in good faith'.

I'm OK with good pay and benefits. But I'm not OK with labor unions & laws determining job duties / work rules, except as regards safety.

Citizens should change the laws to encourage modernization of unionized work. Then you may see amazing increases in government productivity [[and quite likely in pay too).

Therein lies the problem. When Orr is gone and things gravitate back to business as usual the Unions will reembark on destroying the hand that feeds them again, just as they destroyed the auto industry in Detroit by demanding higher pay and conditions than the jobs were worth. So the principals, Detroit, GM., Chrysler went bankrupt. I don't know what the answer is; but it ain't Unions.

[Detroit Stylin]

Therein lies the problem. When Orr is gone and things gravitate back to business as usual the Unions will reembark on destroying the hand that feeds them again, just as they destroyed the auto industry in Detroit by demanding higher pay and conditions than the jobs were worth. So the principals, Detroit, GM., Chrysler went bankrupt. I don't know what the answer is; but it ain't Unions.

Ummmmmm......yeaaaaaah......clearly you have worked in a plant before.....


smmfh

[Hermod]

Exactly. It's hard to compare Bing and Duggan. When Bing was here, the EM was merely an abstract threat that no one thought would come to fruition. It was just obstacles at every pathway.

Duggan has the opposite, and it's an advantage. Let's band together to make it so that the EM is gone, and the best way to do that is to get results. Oh, and by the way, he has final authority, so let's save the obstructionism for another day and another time, everyone.

If the EM law stays in place, strong mayors can use that as a club to overcome obstructionist or ineffective clownsils. The threat of reimposition of an EM should be able to bring the obstreporous kiddies to heel.

[coracle]

Ummmmmm......yeaaaaaah......clearly you have worked in a plant before.....


smmfh

yoaumacscuytwts.......clearly you have too.


twit

[Huggybear]

I'm glad someone has finally recognized you can't swing for the homerun every single time.

Megasites are nice but they can be found anywhere.

Manufacturing is never ever ever ever coming back.

-Also interesting that they might be getting Tiger Stadium developed soon.

-He can throw that future city plan right in the toilet, but hey not everyone is perfect.

I don't disagree that Duggan is already proving to be better than Bing. But we are what, 40-some days into this administration?

But let me put this back on baseball terms another way. When it's the bottom of the 9th, there are two outs, and you're four runs down, you are not going to make it on base hits. Or walks.

The idea that job training is a substitute for major economic projects, given what has been going on in Detroit, is ludicrous. Detroit was suddenly and expansively built on huge economic projects - and today, where the activity is hugely diminished but costs remain, the city will completely bleed out unless it can figure out how to get 50-100K new jobs. Detroit Future City addresses the expense side of the equation [[cutting overhead) - but without serious work on the revenue side, there still will not be enough economic activity to be viable. Entry level jobs alone are not going to suffice; you need both those jobs and an influx of high wage earners who pay more per capita in taxes and spend more locally.

The city has limited resources, and simply creating a skilled labor supply is not a sole solution [[or really, even a great idea) unless you have a place for the workers to go. Otherwise, you repeat the U of M experience - spend a lot of money educating people and export them to the suburbs.

HB

[Richard]

I don't disagree that Duggan is already proving to be better than Bing. But we are what, 40-some days into this administration?

But let me put this back on baseball terms another way. When it's the bottom of the 9th, there are two outs, and you're four runs down, you are not going to make it on base hits. Or walks.

The idea that job training is a substitute for major economic projects, given what has been going on in Detroit, is ludicrous. Detroit was suddenly and expansively built on huge economic projects - and today, where the activity is hugely diminished but costs remain, the city will completely bleed out unless it can figure out how to get 50-100K new jobs. Detroit Future City addresses the expense side of the equation [[cutting overhead) - but without serious work on the revenue side, there still will not be enough economic activity to be viable. Entry level jobs alone are not going to suffice; you need both those jobs and an influx of high wage earners who pay more per capita in taxes and spend more locally.

The city has limited resources, and simply creating a skilled labor supply is not a sole solution [[or really, even a great idea) unless you have a place for the workers to go. Otherwise, you repeat the U of M experience - spend a lot of money educating people and export them to the suburbs.

HB

I would think it all goes hand in hand,what does Detroit have to offer to a company for a skilled work force?

Could Quicken as an example have made the move to downtown employing 6000 without already having those employees in place?

On the micro side of it, the labor supply and demand aspect of,say,a machinist,is matched already otherwise the machinist would be making $200 per hour based on labor supply and demand.

A large company moving to the city would have to relocate their entire personal pool to a point.

Because of its past,one could say the city has a pool of existing skilled workers,although currently unemployed,they could be called on to meet future expansion,so they are in essence held in reserve to meet the demand for existing companies.

So if a company decides to locate to the city and calls on that reserve it creates a shortage in the labor pool driving up wages.

It is in the cities best interest for future growth to provide an educated work force,in the currant situation companies would have to relocate their workforce to meet their needs,while the currant existing future workforce is being trained.

Which in turn becomes costly to do business in the city,which as we have seen,needs to be offset by incentives for that to take place.

By educating the existing labor pool,you are providing a desirable work force and allowing them a chance for a better situation for the city as a whole,you kinda need both to happen at the same time,education,training and relocating of existing business,if your labor pool of skilled workers dries up,you are going to move to where they are.

To me,Detroit is in a prime position to take advantage of the fallout of a lot of bankrupted companies that have shed their massive debt load but still could be viable should they restart fresh,but they need funding and a trained and educated workforce to restart,hub city can provide the funding can Detroit provide the workforce spread across many different trades other then just the factory floor to create a diversified local economy?

[Hermod]

You need a potential labor force which is trainable [[i.e. amenable to receiving training and capable of absorbing training). That is why the Japanese and Germans went for "virgin territory" in the south.

[Honky Tonk]

You need a potential labor force which is trainable [[i.e. amenable to receiving training and capable of absorbing training). That is why the Japanese and Germans went for "virgin territory" in the south.

I can't remember the company name, but there was a woman that started a very successful automobile industry supplier business. She made it a point to hire "trainees" from Focus Hope. There actually are shortages of skilled production workers for jobs, but it ain't your Father's production work. There are certain skill sets you'll need to have, to be able to apply. Detroit HAD great production workers back in the day, but things have changed.

[bailey]

In the past, Detroit city officials worked to create jobs mainly as a consequence of big development projects, such as the new Meijer and Whole Foods groceries that opened last year in the city, or by attracting suburban employers to downtown, including Quicken Loans and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Lewand said the city will now take a greater hand in training unemployed workers for jobs.

“We’re focusing on jobs for Detroiters, not just economic development,” he said.

What jobs in the City of Detroit are going unfilled for lack of trained/qualified employee?

[jaytheory]

umm why is that? the framework actually has some good points, and is not all that abstract


[QUOTE=brizee;422455]An interesting look at the way Duggan/his team will be going about attacking the jobless problem around here.






-He can throw that future city plan right in the toilet, but hey not everyone is perfect.

[Danny]

In earlier days on 2014. The moment when Duggan became Mayor of Detroit. He was getting down to business immediately.

1. Improving emergency snow removal.

2. Overseeing the new Detroit Police Chief that led to "Operation Clean Sweep".

3. Overseeing new street lighting project.

4. Appointing a new D-DOT president.

But he's not done yet.

[401don]

What jobs in the City of Detroit are going unfilled for lack of trained/qualified employee?

There are hundreds of nursing assistant jobs available. You only need a GED and a few months of training. These jobs typically pay about 13-14 dollars per hour after one year. Not great, but better than fast food/retail. You also need the right personality and a clean criminal record. This is the type of short-term job training that can be done if you have the right programs to match needs.