Earlier this year, Michigan took a significant step to prepare workers and communities for economic change with the launch of the Community and Worker Economic Transition Office, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to proactively address the impacts of industrial transformation in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and transportation.
Established through legislation passed in 2023, the Transition Office operates within Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. It was created to help workers, businesses, and communities anticipate and navigate economic shifts — rather than react after layoffs or plant closures occur. The office formally unveiled its statewide Economic Transition Strategy at the Detroit Auto Show in January, following more than a year of stakeholder engagement that included labor, industry, local governments, and community organizations.
Unlike efforts in other states that focus on responding to economic disruption after the fact, Michigan’s approach emphasizes early intervention. The strategy brings together workforce development, community resilience, and industrial competitiveness under a unified framework to equip workers with in-demand skills, support long-term planning, and help manufacturers adapt to emerging markets and technologies.
The UWUA played an active role in shaping the strategy, ensuring that worker voices and job quality remained central — particularly as Michigan navigates the transition to cleaner energy and advanced manufacturing. Labor organizations also play an ongoing oversight role through the Transition Office’s Advisory Committee, which includes union representatives and meets regularly to guide strategy and provide feedback on implementation.
“As Michigan’s largest industries evolve, our response must be bold, coordinated, and people-centered,” said James Harrison, UWUA’s Director of Renewable Energies. “Michigan’s future prosperity depends on a workforce equipped with the skills and training to meet what’s next, and this strategy ensures that Michiganders are prepared for, and included in, the good-paying, high-quality jobs created through economic transition.”
For union members, the Transition Office offers tangible benefits, including early-warning systems to help prevent layoffs, expanded apprenticeship and training opportunities, support for displaced workers, and efforts to remove barriers such as transportation and childcare that often stand in the way of retraining.
Michigan’s model is already drawing national attention as other states confront similar challenges tied to automation, energy transition, and global competition. By centering workers and communities alongside economic growth, the Transition Office offers a replicable blueprint for ensuring that economic change strengthens — not undermines — the middle class.