U.S. Secretary of Commerce Grants Garamendi and Pocan’s Request to Appoint Union Representative to National Advisory Board

This decision is a direct response to a letterthat Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), as well as 19 other Democratic members, sent to Secretary Raimondo in November 2023.

"I am thrilled that Secretary Raimondo has decided to give union apprenticeships a seat at the table to provide their important perspective on how to support American small and medium-sized manufacturers and develop our skilled workforce," said U.S. Representative Garamendi (D-CA-08). "This is a critical step in strengthening the voice of American union workers in the federal government's formal advisory discussions. I will continue to push for legislation like my Manufacturing Partnership Improvement Act to make permanent a seat for labor representatives on the National Advisory Board."

"This administration has been the most pro-worker administration in decades. The announcement from Secretary Raimondo giving union members representation on the Advisory Board will ensure workers have a voice in strengthening this important program and building on its success. I look forward to seeing this made permanent when Rep. Garamendi's bill one day becomes law," said U.S. Representative Pocan (D-WI-02), co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus.

In June 2023, Reps. Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Pocan (D-WI-02) introduced the "Manufacturing Partnership Improvement Act" (H.R.3854). This legislation would reserve a permanent seat for a representative of a labor union apprenticeship program on the National Advisory Boardfor the U.S. Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension PartnershipProgram.

The legislation would also improve coordination between the national network of federally funded Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico with the local offices of the Small Business Administrationto help small manufacturers obtain federal financing and the International Trade Administration's U.S. Export Assistance Centers to support small and medium-sized American manufacturers looking to export. In February 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration's White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment recommendedthat union voices be included in all federal advisory committees, like the Advisory Board for the Commerce Department's Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program.

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