Built by steelworkers, nurses, teachers, and tradespeople, our city’s growth has always depended on the labor of hardworking Alabamians – and so has our progress. Mayor Woodfin believes a thriving workforce begins with making Birmingham a great place to live, work and play. A place where young people can build careers, families can grow thor roots, and workers have the support they need to succeed. That means standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our unions, expanding access to certified apprenticeships, investing in talent pipelines, and strengthening the systems that help people stay on the job. Our vision is simple: when we take care of our workers, Birmingham moves forward.
Policy Priorities
Establishing a city-run childcare center for City of Birmingham employees and their families.
We’re proud to lead a municipal workforce of 3,000+ individuals who represent all walks of life – young families, first-generation professionals, long-serving public servants, and rising leaders committed to Birmingham’s future. But too often, the people who keep our city running are forced to juggle unreliable or inconsistent childcare. By establishing a city-run childcare center for our employees, we’re modeling what it looks like to lead with compassion, equity, and common sense.
Digitizing and updating our union jobs directory with apprenticeship opportunities from all 20+ regional unions.
Unions help build an economy that works for everyone. When people have the opportunity to earn a good job or run a successful business, every part of our communities benefit. From its earliest days, Birmingham has been a union city. Built by steelworkers, nurses, teachers, and tradespeople, our city’s growth has always depended on the labor of hardworking Alabamians – and so has our progress. Mayor Woodfin has always believed that organized labor is essential to a fair economy. Our Union Job Directory is our most powerful tool connecting youth with opportunities, and we’ll bring it up-to-date with job openings from all of Birmingham’s regional unions.
Supporting our City workers through cost-of-living adjustments.
Each year as part of the Mayor’s proposed operating budget, we’ve recommended cost-of-living adjustments for our city’s essential workers. This includes a cumulative 20% cost-of-living adjustment for all city employees over the last eight years, merit pay increases for 3 thousand city employees, and longevity pay for our longest-serving employees. As fiscal circumstances allow, we’ll continue providing annual cost-of-living, longevity pay, and merit pay increases for our employees. Over the next four years, we’ll ensure every City of Birmingham job pays a living wage, with clear pathways for promotion and professional growth.
Investing in talent pipelines for our young people, from cradle to college and career.
Every child in Birmingham should grow up knowing that their city believes in their potential through real investment at every stage of life. From expanding access to early childhood education, to strengthening our vocational programs, to funding debt-free access to two- and four-year degrees through the Birmingham Promise, we’ve laid the groundwork for a generation of success. By aligning our education, apprenticeship, and workforce programs through the development of a cradle-to-career plan, we’ll create clear pathways from the classroom to a career so every young person in Birmingham can build a future right here at home.
Providing living wage job opportunities for young, Black men.
The data is clear – to increase Birmingham’s economic prosperity, reduce and eliminate cycles of violent crime, and stabilize households, we must create job opportunities for young black men. Those opportunities will be attached to a livable wage of at least $22 per hour ($44,760 annual salary), with personal and professional development to equip them with the skills to grow their career. Our Black Men at Work strategy complements other talent pipeline strategies from our administration.
Randall’s Record
- Brought unions to the table early and often, including City leadership attending union hall meetings and hosting federal labor officials in Birmingham.
- Created a city-wide Apprenticeship Plan in partnership with the Building Trades.
- Developed a public apprenticeship directory of apprenticeships to help our young people find union pathways to good-paying jobs.
- Passed the Responsible Bidders Ordinance, giving preference to contractors that hire local workers, use certified apprenticeships, and meet equity standards.
- Placed 350 Birmingham Promise students in paid internships, providing professional development, work experience, and mentorship.
- Administered a $10.8 million Good Jobs Grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, creating a free healthcare workforce training initiative.
- Secured $5 million from the Alabama Industrial Training Board to support career and job development in biotechnology and precision medicine at Southtown.
