[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1020 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1020

  To promote economic growth and job creation in the United States by 
 facilitating worker involvement in the development and implementation 
of advanced workplace technologies and advanced workplace practices and 
    by identifying and disseminating information on best workplace 
                               practices.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                May 25 (legislative day, April 19), 1993

 Mr. Wofford (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Kerry) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                       Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote economic growth and job creation in the United States by 
 facilitating worker involvement in the development and implementation 
of advanced workplace technologies and advanced workplace practices and 
    by identifying and disseminating information on best workplace 
                               practices.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Workers Technology Skill Development 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds and declares the following:
            (1) In an increasingly competitive world economy, the 
        companies and nations which lead in the rapid development, 
        commercialization, and application of new technologies, and in 
        the competitively priced, high-quality production of goods and 
        services, will lead in economic growth, employment, and high 
        living standards.
            (2) While the United States remains the world leader in 
        science and invention, it has not done as well as it should in 
        rapidly making the transition from the research laboratory to 
        high-quality, competitively priced production of goods and 
        services. This lag and the unprecedented competitive challenge 
        that the Nation has faced from abroad have contributed to a 
        drop in real wages and living standards.
            (3) Companies which are successfully competitive in the 
        rapid development, commercialization, application and 
        implementation of new technologies recognize that worker 
        participation and labor-management cooperation in the 
        deployment, application and implementation of new workplace 
        technologies make an important and significant contribution to 
        competitively-priced, high-quality production of goods and 
        services and in maintaining and improving real wages for 
        workers.
            (4) The Federal Government has an important role in 
        encouraging and augmenting private sector activities relating 
        to the development, application, manufacture and deployment of 
        new technologies. That role should be to--
                    (A) support and cooperate with such efforts;
                    (B) work with private companies, the states, labor 
                organizations and other worker organizations, and 
                nonprofit institutions and institutions of higher 
                education to ensure that the development, application, 
                production, and implementation of new technologies is 
                consistent with the improvement of workers' skills, 
                wages and working conditions, and a healthy 
                environment;
                    (C) encourage worker participation in the 
                development, commercialization, evaluation, selection, 
                application and implementation of new technologies in 
                the workplace; and
                    (D) promote the use and integration of technologies 
                in the workplace as a mechanism to enhance workers' 
                skills.
            (5) In working with the private sector to promote the 
        technological leadership and economic growth of the United 
        States, the Federal Government has a responsibility to ensure 
        that Federal technology programs help make the United States 
        remain competitive while maintaining and improving living 
        standards and creating and retaining secure domestic jobs in 
        economically stable communities in the United States.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purpose of this Act is to--
            (1) improve the ability of workers, labor organizations and 
        worker organizations to recognize, develop, assess, and improve 
        strategies for successfully integrating workers into the 
        process of evaluating, selecting and implementing new and 
        advanced workplace technologies, workplace practices and forms 
        of work organization; and
            (2) develop resources within labor organizations, 
        educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations 
        which will assist workers, labor organizations and worker 
        organizations in developing the expertise necessary for 
        effective participation with employers in the development of 
        strategies and programs for the successful evaluation, 
        selection and implementation of new and advanced workplace 
        technologies and advanced workplace practices and forms of work 
        organization through the provision of a range of education, 
        training and related services.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``Department'' means the Department of Labor;
            (2) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Labor;
            (3) the term ``worker organization'' means an organization 
        composed of nonsupervisory and nonmanagerial workers whose 
        representatives are democratically selected by workers;
            (4) the term ``advanced workplace technologies'' 
        including--
                    (A) equipment, systems and process designed to 
                enhance quality, productivity, flexibility, 
                environmental quality, and energy efficiency while 
                enhancing worker skills and autonomy in the workplace; 
                and
                    (B) new technologies such as skill-based, skill-
                enhancing computer-, network-, and microprocessor-based 
                production systems; worker-friendly software control 
                and information systems; worker-operated rapid 
                communications systems linking workplaces, customers 
                and suppliers; remote sensor and operations control 
                systems allowing operators to apply their knowledge and 
                judgment to complex production activities;
            (5) the term ``advanced workplace practices'' means 
        innovations in high-skill, high-performance workplace systems 
        that build on worker participation in the evaluation, 
        selection, development and implementation of new and advanced 
        workplace technologies and forms of work organization, 
        including worker participation in cross-functional teams for 
        concurrent engineering of new products and production systems; 
        participative assessment and development of strategies to 
        enhance competitiveness and advancements in technology, work 
        organization job design and skills; commitment to continuous 
        learning and skill upgrading; multi-skilling; total quality and 
        continuous improvement programs based on a partnership between 
        workers and management; and design of production systems that 
        maximize energy efficiency, environmental quality and 
        recyclability and parts reuse; and
            (6) the term ``advanced forms of work organization'' means 
        way of organizing production activities, job and workplace 
        decisionmaking systems to take full advantage of workers' 
        skills, knowledge and judgment, including horizontal 
        organization hierarchies with expanded responsibility and 
        autonomy for front-line workers; autonomous work teams 
        empowered to work directly with customers and suppliers; jobs 
        that are redesigned to expand skill and capitalize on previous 
        worker knowledge and experience; and work systems built in 
        ongoing investments in new and expanded worker skills.

SEC. 5. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor, after consultation with 
the Secretary of Commerce, shall, to the extent appropriations are 
available, award grants to eligible entities to support the purpose of 
this Act as stated in section 3.
    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an entity shall--
            (1) be a post-secondary educational institution, a labor 
        organization, a worker organization, a nonprofit organization 
        or a partnership consortium of such entities;
            (2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at 
        such time, in such manner and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require, including a description of the 
        activities that the entity will carry out using amounts 
        received under the grant; and
            (3) agree to make available (directly or through donations 
        from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions 
        toward the costs of the activities to be conducted with grant 
        funds, in an amount equal to the amount required under 
        subsection (d) of this section.
    (c) Use of Amounts.--An entity shall use amounts received under a 
grant awarded under this section to further the purposes described in 
section 3 in the through activities such as--
            (1) the dissemination of information to employers, labor 
        organizations, workers, worker organizations, State economic 
        development agencies, State industrial extension programs, 
        Advanced Technology Centers, and National Manufacturing 
        Technology Centers regarding successful practices relating to 
        the effective deployment of new and advanced workplace 
        technologies, advanced workplace practices and forms of work 
        organization;
            (2) the provision of technical assistance to enable 
        workers, labor organizations, worker organizations, employers, 
        State economic development agencies, State industrial extension 
        programs, Advanced Technology Centers, and National 
        Manufacturing Technology Centers to identify workplace 
        practices, forms of work organization and strategies which 
        enhance the effective evaluation, selection and implementation 
        of new workplace technologies;
            (3) the provision of technical assistance to enable 
        workers, labor organizations, worker organizations, employers, 
        State economic development agencies, State industrial extension 
        programs, Advanced Technology Centers, and National 
        Manufacturing Technology Centers to develop and implement 
        cooperative labor-management programs which address the 
        evaluation, selection and implements implementation of new 
        technologies in the workplace;
            (4) the identification of new and advanced workplace 
        technologies, workplace practices and forms of workplace 
        organization which promote the improvement of workers' skills, 
        wages and working conditions and are consistent to the needs of 
        local communities and a healthy environment;
            (5) the development and dissemination of training programs 
        and materials relating to the services provided pursuant to 
        paragraphs (1) through (4) above;
    (d) Terms of Grants and Non-Federal Shares.--
            (1) Terms.--Grants awarded under this section shall be for 
        a term not to exceed six years.
            (2) Non-Federal Share.--Amounts required to be contributed 
        by an entity under subsection (b)(3) shall equal--
                    (A) an amount equal to 15 percent of the amount 
                provided under the grant in the first year for which 
                the grant is awarded;
                    (B) an amount equal to 20 percent of the amount 
                provided under the grant in the second year for which 
                the grant is awarded;
                    (C) an amount equal to 33 percent of the amount 
                provided under the grant in the third year for which 
                the grant is awarded;
                    (D) an amount equal to 40 percent of the amount 
                provided under the grant in the fourth year for which 
                the grant is awarded; and
                    (E) an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount 
                provided under the grant in the fifth and sixth years 
                for which the grant is awarded.
    (e) Evaluation.--The Department shall develop mechanisms for 
evaluating the effectiveness of the use of a grant awarded under this 
section.

SEC. 6. IDENTIFICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) The Secretary, in cooperation and after consultation 
        with the Secretary of Commerce, shall assist employers, 
        employer associations, workers, labor organizations and worker 
        organizations in successfully adopting advanced workplace 
        technologies, advanced workplace practices and advanced forms 
        of work organization by identifying, collecting and 
        disseminating information on best workplace practices and 
        workplace assessment tools, including--
                    (A) methods, techniques and successful models of 
                labor-management cooperation and worker participation 
                in the development, evaluation, selection and 
                implementation of new and advanced workplace 
                technologies, workplace practices, and new forms of 
                work organization;
                    (B) methods, techniques and successful models for 
                the design and implementation of new and advanced 
                workplace practices;
                    (C) methods, techniques and successful models for 
                the design and implementation of new forms of work 
                organization; and
                    (D) methods, techniques and successful models for 
                the assessment of worker skills and training needs 
                relating to the effective development, evaluation, 
                selection and implementation of new and advanced 
                workplace technologies, workplace practices and forms 
                of work organization.
            (2) Such best practice information shall include summaries 
        and analyses of best practice cases, criteria for assessment of 
        current workplace practices; and information on the best 
        available education and training materials and services 
        relating to the development, implementation and operation of 
        systems utilizing new and advanced workplace technologies, 
        workplace practices and forms of work organization.
    (b) Distribution.--The information and materials developed under 
this subsection shall be distributed through an appropriate entity 
designated by the Secretary of Commerce to the Regional Centers for the 
Transfer of Manufacturing Technology, to the Manufacturing Outreach 
Center, to other technology training entities, and directly to others.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
1995 through 1997.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under paragraph (a) shall 
remain available until expended.

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