State of the Unions: Navigating Job Creation and Destruction
Only about 10 percent of U.S. workers belong to a union. But in fossil fuel industries, labor groups are working to protect jobs and navigate the transition to a renewable economy. How can we ensure protections for good, family-supporting jobs in climate-friendly fields?
Climate One · Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
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Show Notes
With expanding electrical infrastructure and some jurisdictions beginning to ban gas appliances in new construction, the transition to a clean energy economy is already happening. Understandably, labor unions that represent workers tied to the fossil fuel infrastructure are digging in their heels. While recognizing that climate change is a threat, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the Utility Workers Union of America are skeptical of promises of a just transition, saying green jobs are typically non-union and pay far less. So how can we transition to a low-carbon economy while protecting good-paying jobs?
Guests:
Austin Keyser, Assistant to the International President for Government Affairs at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Yvette Pena-O'Sullivan, Executive Director, Office of the General President, LiUNA
Lee Anderson, Director of Government Affairs, Utility Workers Union of America
Carol Zabin, Director, Green Economy Program, UC Berkeley Labor Center
Norman Rogers, Second Vice President of United Steelworkers, California
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