Labor and Climate
Solidarity for Better Environments - Globally and in the Workplace
Often, organizing for the climate and organized labor have been set in opposition to each other: ending polluting industries means shutting down parts of the economy that, sometimes, provide good work with a union contract. But in the US, this opposition has slowly turned around. The Inflation Reduction Act, the largest piece of climate legisation in American history, was passed with union support; unions are getting involved in organizing to support a sustainable future. We interviewed five climate and labor activists organizing at the intersection of these two vital movements to see what their thoughts were on what each could learn from each other, and why a new generation sees opportunities to work together for a greener, more solidaristic future.
Philip Bennett
Former President and Cofounder of the Congressional Workers' Union
Emphasize all the intersections that labor has with environmental and racial justice
Ben Davis
Policy Advisor with the BlueGreen Alliance
I see a burgeoning sense of solidarity across the climate movement, the labor movement, and all progressive fronts
Kat Maier
Organizer and Co-National Coordinator with Fridays for Future US
I started understanding the root causes of climate change and how the same systems that led to this crisis have caused so many of our other societal injustices
William Schwartz
Workforce Development, Sustainability, and Climate Justice Organizer
Small steps positively impact your mental well-being, and your communities, as well as, making significant challenges appear more manageable
Oscar Villalobos
Green New Deal for DC Coordinator
If we truly want to move on from an extractive economy we will need the full might of the workforce