📘 JSA2026 FY2026 Commonwealth Budget – Volume VI: Workforce & Labor Policy Reform

Prepared by the Office of Jason S. Arnold – 2026 Gubernatorial Candidate, State of New York
This volume presents the JSA2026 plan to restore dignity to public employment, empower local workforce systems, and modernize labor policy through transparency, opportunity, and decentralized economic revival.

👷 Workforce Strategy Overview

• Decentralize workforce development funding through Local Workforce Empowerment Grants tied to regional outcomes
• Restructure civil service pathways to allow skill-based and apprenticeship alternatives to rigid degree-only rules
• Launch the Commonwealth Upskill Accelerator (CUA) to provide tuition-free certification pipelines in AI, trades, logistics, and clean energy
• Establish a Performance-Based Civil Service Promotion System statewide

🏢 Civil Service Modernization

• Eliminate degree-only job locks: State jobs over $60k must allow alternate certification or experience track
• Upgrade hiring portals and waitlists: Launch unified NY Civil Service Gateway for exams, hiring, and review
• Reform disciplinary process: Expedite hearings for misconduct cases while preserving due process
• Incentivize service-based retention: Loyalty bonuses tied to performance, not time alone

🛠️ Local Workforce Development

• Local Workforce Empowerment Grants (LWEGs): Competitive regional grants awarded for job placement, not program size
• Align LEZs with workforce boards: Coordinate K–12, adult education, and retraining programs under unified planning zones
• Establish Rural Trades Compacts: Partner with BOCES, SUNY, and SEZs to deliver hands-on skills training and certification

🤝 Labor Union Transparency & Accountability

• Public posting of union contracts and spending over $100k on lobbying, PACs, or consultants
• Mandate annual member opt-in renewal for dues collection by public sector unions
• Ban political coercion clauses in state-backed union rules or grievance procedures
• Protect whistleblowers who report union corruption or misuse of funds

💡 Commonwealth Upskill Accelerator (CUA)

• Free training in:
  • Green & nuclear energy tech
  • AI & cybersecurity
  • Advanced manufacturing & logistics
  • Mental health, EMS, and care work
• Partner with LEZs, SUNY/CUNY, and private co-ops to host accelerated programs statewide
• Tie all funding to placement outcomes (6-month and 1-year benchmarks)

📈 Fiscal Outcomes & Projections

• Net savings of $220M from outdated certification & exam mandate removals
• $400M redirected into skills training, trades recruitment, and rural workforce hubs
• Projected 18% increase in in-state job placement by Year 3 under LWEG model

🔚 Conclusion from Jason S. Arnold

New York’s working class has been abandoned — by both government and the institutions meant to protect them. This volume proves we’re not waiting for Washington or Wall Street. We’re rebuilding our workforce from the bottom up, with local vision, honest labor, and 21st century tools.

Volume VII will present the JSA2026 Economic Revitalization Plan, with a full breakdown of SEZs, rural growth zones, and tourism reinvention.

🗽 Jason S. Arnold, Candidate for Governor
📍 https://jsa2026.com
☎️ (516) 586-0660
✉️ jaysarnold@icloud.com