A coalition of labor organizations, including building and construction trades unions and the Oregon AFL-CIO, have launched Climate Jobs Oregon this week. Climate Jobs Oregon is a new labor-led organization to ensure that the transition to a clean energy future in Oregon is one that centers working people and the communities they live in.
Union members hold signs at a press conference announcing the launch of Climate Jobs Oregon. Oregon AFL-CIO
“All working families deserve safe, healthy and prosperous futures,” said Graham Trainor, Oregon AFL-CIO president. “Climate Jobs Oregon addresses working class needs by creating long-term, liveable wage union jobs while investing in renewable energy infrastructure. It honors Oregon’s history, meets the challenges of the present and invests in a future where our communities, our workers and our environment can thrive together.”
A recent report from the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University is a central component of the scope of Climate Jobs Oregon. Cornell’s report offers a concrete, Oregon-specific roadmap for tackling the climate and inequality crises together through clean infrastructure, emissions reductions and expanded access to union jobs.
“Climate Jobs Oregon represents an opportunity for rural Oregon that cannot be ignored,” said Tiffany Wilkins, a business representative for IUOE Local 701. “Investing more in clean energy projects means communities will thrive, energy prices will be more stable, but also young workers in our communities like Arlington can start their careers right here in their hometown.”
One of the organization’s goals is to create a “homegrown” clean energy economy that makes jobs and addresses climate change, with an emphasis on the working class and addressing racial inequality in the job and renewable energy market. “It just makes economic sense,” Trainor said.
“I’ve experienced the rising cost of basic necessities, including my electricity bill, and I see how families in my community are struggling,” said Osvaldo Fernandez, a member of LiUNA Local 737. “When we invest in clean energy, we are investing in good-paying jobs, affordable housing, affordable energy and a cleaner, healthier climate. This won’t only benefit union members, it will benefit every Oregon family.”
Earlier this month, union groups in New Jersey formed Climate Jobs New Jersey, a coalition similarly led by Cornell University’s Climate Jobs Institute.
News item from Climate Jobs Oregon
