From SWACCA.org

DHS EXTENDS AND REDESIGNATES TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS AND ANNOUNCES NEW ACTIONS TO SPEED PROCESSING OF EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION DOCUMENTS

September 21, 2023

In this Cleveland.com article, CEA Executive Vice President Glen Shumate and Member Ariane Kirkpatrick weigh-in on why some companies and contractors forego the chance to do business with Cuyahoga County. 

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n response to today’s Supreme Court decision on college affirmative action programs, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a statement characterizing the decision as not restricting employer efforts to foster diverse and inclusive workforces. The EEOC asserts that it remains lawful for employers to implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs that seek to ensure workers of all backgrounds are afforded equal opportunity in the workplace.

City of Cleveland leadership spoke on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to discuss the recently passed Community Benefits Ordinance, which they say will have a "historic community impact."

“We want to continue to restructure our economic development department to be more responsive to the business community, to make sure we can be more aggressive to attract and retain new companies,” Mayor Justin Bibb said.

By: Trevor Mitchell 

Over the past 50 years, local government and business leaders in Cleveland have implemented several ordinances, policies, and programs seeking to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) within the construction industry and urban redevelopment. These DEI efforts have had a significant impact on the urban planning process in the City of Cleveland and led to the creation of Cleveland’s Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Community Benefits and Inclusion (MOU) or what is commonly referred to as a model Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the number of unionized workers in the United States increased by 200,000 from 2021 to 2022. And that growth came entirely from workers of color. There was an increase in 231,000 unionized workers of color last year, while white unionized workers actually decreased by 31,000.