Jobs to Move America (JMA) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst partnered to release a new study, entitled “Strengthening U.S. Manufacturing Through Public Procurement Policies,” Dec. 8.
The study confirms that the
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act’s increased Buy America requirements, from 60 percent to 70 percent, will improve the health of the manufacturing industry within the United States, generating thousands of manufacturing jobs for the nation.
The FAST Act, which lasts for the next five years, is designed to give $305 billion to state as well as local transit agencies. U.S. President Barack Obama recently signed the FAST Act, giving transit agencies the ability to generate new manufacturing jobs, ultimately improving public transportation systems throughout the United States.
JMA was first established in 2013. Its goal is to guarantee that transit investments from the FAST Act will continue to generate U.S. manufacturing jobs. This is important for communities who have been historically underrepresented in the industry, such as people of color, women, people with disabilities or convictions and veterans.
There still remains much work to be done, as 5 million manufacturing jobs have been lost from the United States during recent years.
