Page 1 - Executive Summary BC IV - final

Big Conversation - Wednesday January 28
Employment, Income, Pensions and Benefits,
and Access to Education and Training

A summary of the evening and the audience discussion
Panelists included:

• Mike Benton - Chair, Workforce Investment Board of Southern Maryland
Successful Southern Maryland Business person

• Ruthy Davis - Director, Regional Workforce and Business Development
Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland

• Daniel Mosser Vice President - Continuing Education and Workforce
Development, the College of Southern Maryland

• Karl Pence - Teacher, Chopticon High School
Chair, Maryland Higher Education Labor Relations Board
Past President, Maryland State Teachers Association

The evening opened with a summary of the reasons for the 1970s wage stagnation from the point of view of
Richard D. Wolff, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, as he narrated in his
November 2008 video Capitalism Hits the Fan. Following the summary, the audience viewed a group of charts
depicting the consequences of wage stagnation with respect to employment, income, benefits, and access to
education. Leaders then presented a summary of audience response to the documentary film, Inequality for All
by Robert Reich, shown the previous Sunday evening.

Conclusions and Solutions -

• What is happening in terms of income distribution and wealth in Southern Maryland?

Attendees and panelists discussed the overall structure of the workforce and employment in Southern
Maryland, especially in Calvert.

• How do students/jobseekers view work and the workforce in Southern Maryland?
Students in high school have outsized expectations as to what they might earn and the lifestyle that they might
expect. There was considerable discussion regarding how children, students, and new entrants into the
workforce might get a more realistic and detailed picture of what is involved in accessing good jobs. Parents,
teachers, and workforce officials need to be more engaged in this process on behalf of students, and parents
in particular could provide a foundation in financial literacy. There is a need to better prepare new workforce
entrants to be analytical and have basic workforce skills.
• What is the relationship between income inequality and the Southern Maryland economy?

The discussion focused on the context of the local economy that is driven by federal employment and defense
industry contractors. It was noted that local jobs beyond these two sectors have been hit hard since 2008, in
such fields as small businesses, real estate, building and contractor work.

• Is there a clear divide between the really good jobs - say of the Navy contractors - and many of the
other jobs?

Apprenticeships offered by businesses and educational institutions were offered as a classic concept that is
once again being adapted to the new economy. There are many more apprenticeships under way than one
might expect. Dan Mosser (College of Southern Maryland) responded to questions regarding how CSM
training is geared toward the needs of the local economy, noting that the community sometimes places