Photo credits: NY IBEW Local 3, Ironworkers Local 37, and IBEW 1253

CALIFORNIA SEIU members win seats on climate taskforce in Oakland School District Union members in the Bay Area made history this month when SEIU Local 1021 won three seats on the Oakland School District's Climate Action Task Force, which will develop climate action commitments for the school district. This is a powerful example of how unions are organizing for carbon-free and healthy schools.  ILLINOIS Climate Jobs Illinois strengthens labor and equity provisions in historic energy bill  This month, Climate Jobs IL scored a major win for workers, particularly in Illinois’ under-resourced communities, by supporting a bill that builds career pathways to union careers in the renewable energy industry. The bill, which strengthens provisions in the state’s historic Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, ensures participants in pre-apprenticeship programs receive stipends no less than the minimum wage and provides more stability to those critical, equity-advancing programs.

TAKE ACTION: "The Future is Union” Photo Contest  CJNRC recently launched a national photography contest, The Future is Union: Climate Urgency Through the Eyes of Workers. Any union member who sees their work as a “climate job” can enter a photo and win up to $500! Check out the contest website here and help spread the word.

U.S. labor leaders respond to IPCC report, urge swift action  Labor leaders from across the country responded to last week’s latest IPCC report, which spells out the dire costs and consequences of the impacts of the climate crisis. From Texas to Maine, workers know that it’s time to take bold, pro-worker climate action.

MAINE This month, unions in Maine launched a new climate jobs coalition to tackle climate breakdown and inequality. The Maine Labor Climate Council also unveiled a report by Cornell University experts that outlines how the country's most heating-oil-dependent state can embrace a swift, pro-worker, and equitable energy transition. Read more about the launch and report in the press: Maine unions launch platform to create thousands of good jobs, take on the climate crisis The Cornell report’s recommendations could create between 10,000 to 20,000 good-paying jobs per year in the state for the next two decades, reports the Maine Beacon.  OP-ED: It's time for climate policies that put working people first “From our inland mill towns and forests to our docks and shipyards, Maine workers have always been on the front lines of these struggles. Today, Maine’s organized workers are coming together again to solve the biggest challenges of our day: climate change and inequality,” writes Cynthia Phinney, president of the Maine AFL-CIO, in an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News. Video: Maine labor unions create climate council Watch coverage of the Maine Labor Climate Council launch on local TV.   Interview: Radio interview with the Executive Director of Maine AFL-CIO Tune into the Voice of Maine’s interview about the new coalition’s vision with Matt Shlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO.

NEW YORK NYC unions rally behind ambitious new climate action plans Climate Jobs NY (CJNY) released a report, authored by Cornell researchers, that examines the impact of climate change on NYC and offers policy solutions to slash emissions, create good union jobs, and strengthen communities.  Unions testify during City Council civil service and labor hearing for improved workers' rights Union members and leaders of Climate Jobs NY testified before City Council about the urgency of investing in healthy, carbon-free school buildings. “Just a few months ago in October, over 250 of my coworkers throughout NYC schools had to stay overnight at school buildings to protect the schools from flooding,” said Angel Ocasio, a 32BJ member and public school cleaner.  Construction begins on South Fork Wind project Building trades members broke ground on New York’s first offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind. The turbines will generate about 130 megawatts of power, enough to power more than 70,000 homes.

RHODE ISLAND OP-ED: Roadmap for a new economy in Rhode Island “Rhode Islanders don’t have to look far to find evidence of our crumbling infrastructure, deeply unequal economy, or the climate crisis. Luckily, we don’t have to look far for solutions anymore, either,” write George Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, and Sheila Dormody, chair of the RI Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) Advisory Board, in an op-ed about Climate Jobs RI’s vision for pro-worker climate action.

WISCONSIN OP-ED: Wisconsin can maximize the economic impact of renewable energy development if local workers build the projects Robb Kahl, the executive director of Construction Business Group, a joint labor-management organization representing the interest of 30,000 trades workers and 4,000 contractors, discusses the shift to wind and solar and how Wisconsin can take advantage of clean energy through local workers and better labor standards. Talking solar on the Steve Scaffidi show Starting at 1:30, Robb Kahl talks about the benefit of hiring Wisconsin workers for utility-scale solar projects on the Steve Scaffidi show.

CJNRC is a labor-led organization that works to combat climate change, create good union jobs, and reverse racial and economic inequality by building a worker-centered renewable economy.

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