At the 2009 Annual Policy Meeting, the Workforce and Labor and Stewardship Contracting working groups were discontinued and realigned as the new Rural Conservation-based Economic Development and Public Lands Stewardship working groups.  Below is the history of the Workforce and Labor and Stewardship Contracting working groups:

The Workforce, Labor and Contracting Working Group aimed to improve the quality and quantity business and employment opportunities for forest workers and contractors. The group approached this goal in a number of ways including: working to increase the functioning of Forest Service and BLM service, timber sale, and service contracting for rural communities and workers and improving the monitoring and enforcement of labor laws. During 2006, the working groups developed a RVCC workforce and labor issue paper, prepared testimony for hearings on Capitol Hill, and forwarded concerns about job quality and quantity to agency and congressional staff in Washington, D.C.

In 2007, member groups co-hosted a forum on the Working Conditions of Forest Workers in Eugene, Oregon and will be continuing its work with Forest Service, BLM, Department of Labor, and congressional staff to improve business and employment conditions.  In 2007, the working group wrote a briefing paper on best value contracting, new talking points for stewardship contracting, and monitored the New Business Model process. In 2008, this working group has divided into two subgroups: the Stewardship Contracting working group and the Workforce and Labor working group.