The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee on Social Justice and United States Policy presented its Report #23 on Resolution D006 (Just Transition: Automation and New Technology) and moved adoption with amendment.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D006)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church recognize the profound economic opportunities and threats that new technologies pose for people and societies around the world, and urge a balanced policy approach to adoption and regulation of new technologies in order to encourage investment in opportunities and growth while also preparing and investing in people so that society as a whole, including workers and local communities, are ready for the economic transition; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support public investment in education and skills necessary to help individuals, families, and communities transition to new industries as some sectors experience contraction while opportunities that require specialized skills grow in other fields; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support a transition to a clean-energy economy that meets goals for climate change mitigation and also includes support for good jobs (i.e., jobs with living wages and benefits that can support a family) in new clean-energy industries as well as strong implementation of new technologies to meet new energy standards, recognizing that carbon-based jobs have often been union jobs; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support the principle and goal of public funding for universal access to community college programs that are preparing students with skills to meet the workforce needs of the present and future, understanding that cities, states, and federal government may experiment with different and/or incremental models to reach universal access, as has been true for expanding universal access to kindergarten and high school over the years; and that the Church also support adoption of apprenticeship programs, or similar models, that are well articulated with community college programs, labor unions and other worker organizations, and employer workforce development programs, to provide sustainable wages and educational experience on the job so that aspiring workers do not have to choose between a low-skill, low-pay job or education and debt; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support public policies such as community benefit agreements and local-hire agreements in public works projects and publicly supported industrial development in order to encourage democratic and local control over development and pathways to jobs for underserved local residents; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support the rights of workers everywhere to organize, whether in traditional labor unions or new forms of worker organization, in order to have a voice in their workplaces and in sectoral policy development and national industrial policies as technological change continues to create deep and fast changes within the labor market both within the United States and globally.

Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church urge our members, Office of Government Relations and other agencies, congregations, and dioceses to address the needs and opportunities of local and global economic transition, as such change affects the capacity and dignity of human beings and the welfare of God´s children. As participants in local and global economies, as citizens, and as advocates, The Episcopal Church urges faithfulness to these principles: recognize the profound economic opportunities and threats that new technologies pose for people and societies around the world, and urge a balanced policy approach to adoption and regulation of new technologies in order to encourage investment in opportunities and growth while also p

-Preparing and investing in people so that society as a whole, including workers and local communities, are ready for the economic transition; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support

-Public investment in education and skills necessary to help individuals, families, and communities transition to new industries as some sectors experience contraction while opportunities that require specialized skills grow in other fields; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support a

-Transition to a clean-energy economy that meets goals for climate change mitigation and also includes support for good jobs (i.e., jobs with living wages and benefits that can support a family) in new clean-energy industries as well as strong implementation of new technologies to meet new energy standards, recognizing that carbon-based jobs have often been union jobs; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support the principle and goal of public funding for

-Universal access to community college programs that are preparing students with skills to meet the workforce needs of the present and future, understanding that cities, states, and federal government may experiment with different and/or incremental models to reach universal access, as well as has been true for expanding universal access to kindergarten and high school over the years; and that the Church also support adoption of apprenticeship programs, or similar models, that are well articulated with community college programs, labor unions and other worker organizations, and employer workforce development programs, to provide sustainable wages and educational experience on the job so that aspiring workers do not have to choose between a low-skill, low-pay job or education and debt; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support

-Ppublic policies such as community benefit agreements and local-hire agreements in public works projects and publicly supported industrial development in order to encourage democratic and local control over development and pathways to jobs for underserved local residents; and be it further Resolved, That The Episcopal Church support

-The rights of workers everywhere to organize, whether in traditional labor unions or new forms of worker organization, in order to have a voice in their workplaces and in sectoral policy development and national industrial policies as technological change continues to create deep and fast changes within the labor market both within the United States and globally.

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #248)