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State of the Unions: Navigating Job Creation and Destruction

Climate One

English - January 28, 2022 08:01 - 56 minutes - ★★★★★ - 502 ratings
Natural Sciences Science Social Sciences environment climate change public policy water talk radio news climate economy energy science global warming Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed


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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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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