Pittsburgh Works Together, a coalition of labor, business, and civic leaders, released a five-part policy agenda outlining the steps needed to make western Pennsylvania a powerhouse for the nation’s recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group unveiled the plan last week in a video press conference, following a television advertising campaign touting the region’s potential within its manufacturing, technology, and energy sectors.
The plan will be presented to the region’s elected and civic leaders to spark a discussion on how to best proceed with rebuilding the economy in the coming months, said Jeff Nobers, executive director of Pittsburgh Works Together.
“The Pittsburgh region can lead the country if we are smart, nimble, and above all, bold enough to prepare for a new reality,” the document declares. “We can either take advantage of southwestern Pennsylvania’s world-class assets in energy, manufacturing, construction, technology, research, and a skilled workforce unafraid of hard work, or we can watch this generational opportunity pass us by, leaving our future up to others.”
The plan specifically calls for a full development of the region’s energy sector, with particular focus on its natural gas resources. It also calls for vocational and technical education for young people who decide on skilled trades over attending college; a concentration on rebuilding the region’s infrastructure, from transportation and power grid development to water treatment and broadband capacity improvement; fresh investment by reducing regulatory and excessive tax burdens on job creators; and a Pennsylvania-first policy of tax credits and incentives for publicly underwritten projects.
The plan does not offer projected job numbers, but one labor leader noted that the broad policy would likely encourage a surge of new employment.
“Any time we talk about infrastructure and manufacturing, we’re encouraging the good-paying jobs that have supported working families and set the pace for wages and salaries in other sectors,” said co-chair Tom Melcher, business manager for the Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council.