Climate change is real and so is the opportunity for organized labor to lead in the solutions to this global environmental crisis, especially right here in New York. On Tuesday, September 22, labor and business leaders, union members, environmental justice advocates, elected officials, and scientists participated in the 2020 Climate Jobs & Just Transition Summit to discuss and share plans for addressing climate change with a bold agenda and just transition for workers and marginalized communities.
“The renewable energy sector must be unionized,” AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler said during the opening round.
The summit and awards ceremony, which were held for the first time in 2019 in person where Local 3 member Allison Ziogas was honored, were virtual this year and the livestream was made available to the public because of popular demand. Panels and breakout sessions such as “The Next Generation of Buildings” and “Climate Change, Racial Justice and Economic Justice” focused on everything from policy details to the big picture.
“We have the facilities in place and the wherewithal to make it happen, and I hope it does,” Business Manager Christopher Erikson said in the “Building a Robust, Equitable Offshore Wind Industry in the U.S.” session.
Click here to watch the summit’s opening video featuring Local 3, building trades unions, and NYC Central Labor Council. The summit, held in conjunction with Climate Week 2020, was sponsored in part by Climate Jobs NY, Climate Jobs National Resource Center and ILR Worker Institute at Cornell University.
