Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, June 23, 2017
A smorgasbord of news of interest to green unionists:
B.C. contractor exposed to asbestos blows whistle, says government made his life a 'nightmare' - By Tom Sandborn, Vancouver Sun, June 16, 2017 - When general contractor Don Garrett was invited to bid on plumbing work in Agassiz’s Kent Prison in 2008, he had no idea that such routine work would expose him to asbestos and touch off a nine-year battle that would cast him on the national stage as a whistleblower, make it impossible to obtain bonding, and cost him future contracts.
California’s water-stealing Delta Tunnels could be approved in September - By Dan Bacher, Red, Green, and Blue, June 15, 2017 - The Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) must consider the findings of the official biological opinion during its June 22 meeting, in addition to hearing public outcry from Delta environmental justice communities, farmers, fishermen, and environmental groups, RTD noted.
Chilean mining minister responds to criticism over miners’ rescue - By Valentina Ruiz Leotaud, Mining.Com, June 14, 2017 - Last Friday, when the mine flooded following the collapse of a wall, the two miners were working in a gallery located some 1,300 metres from the entrance and 250 metres deep. Company officials believe they might have been able to seek refuge in an emergency shelter; [related]: Heavy snowfall disrupts rescue of workers trapped at Mandalay’s mine in Chile - By Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.Com, June 16, 2017 | Mandalay’s mine fully flooded, trapped workers unlikely to be alive - By Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.Com, June 18, 2017.
A Climate Cooling Proposal - By Peter Bane and Susan Butler, Resilience, June 15, 2017 - This is work for hundreds of millions of people presently unemployed, underemployed, or pursuing dangerous and destructive jobs.
Coal Falls Hard As Renewables Continue to Surge, Oil & Gas Giant BP Reports - By Adam Johnston, Clean Technica, June 15, 2017 - BP’s report only adds a further layer on why renewables are the way to go. If not for concerns to mitigate climate change concerns, then to advance 21st century industrial jobs in rust belt areas that desperately need high paying jobs; [related]: Forget coal, solar will soon be cheaper than natural gas power - By Joe Romm, ThinkProgress, June 15, 2017 | How wind and solar will kill coal, sooner than Finkel suggests - By Giles Parkinson, REnew Economy, June 15, 2017 | UK coal collapse plays major role in lowering global emissions - By Lauri Myllyvirta and Joe Sandler Clarke, Greenpeace Energy Desk, June 14, 2017.
Coalition of Immokalee Workers news:
Deadly dust in the TTC - By Roger Schmidt, Rank and File, June 13, 2017 - As early as 2004 the TTC has tested and knows full well that the Wilson carhouse has airborne particulate matter tied to the “blowdown” to clean the underside of the revenue cars.
Demand for judicial inquiry into Umerkot sanitation worker’s death - By staff, Pakistan Labour Watch, June 15, 2017 - Rights activists under the aegis of Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network have demanded judicial inquiry into the death of a sanitary worker in Umerkot on June 1 reportedly because of negligence of doctors and failure of municipal committee to provide protective gear to its sanitation staff.
‘Dirty Fashion’ report reveals pollution in big brands’ supply chains - By Natasha Hurley, New Internationalist, June 20, 2017 - The Changing Markets investigation in China focused on factories in the eastern provinces of Hebei, Jianxi and Shandong. The investigation team found air and water pollution, evidence of worker fatalities in the factories, and stories of severe health impacts on residents living in the vicinity of the plants.
88,000 American Solar Jobs Are Under Threat From Suniva’s Trade Case, Says SEIA - By Stephen Lacey, GreenTech Media, June 16, 2017 - There are more than 250,000 people working in America's solar industry. A bad investment by a single financier could kill a third of those jobs in one fell swoop; [related]: US Solar Industry Could Lose 88,000 Jobs If Government Rules In Suniva’s Favor - By Joshua S Hill, Clean Technica, June 16, 2017 | Throwing shade at the sun - By Nathanael Johnson, Grist, June 19, 2017.
Elon Musk Left Worker Safety On Autopilot Too Long - By David Marquet, Forbes, June 4, 2017 - The UAW are using the safety record as part of their campaign to encourage Tesla workers to unionize. The argument is that union factories are safer because union workers can speak up about safety violations without fear of losing their jobs. There maybe something to that.
Emergency procedure shake-up at Viva Energy - By Kathleen Jessop, Bay 93.9 Geelong, June 20, 2017 - There were concerns from the Australian Workers Union that the CFA may not deal with emergencies as well as the Refinery's Emergency Response Group, who are much more familiar with the layout of the area; [related] VIVA MUST GUARANTEE EMERGENCY RESPONSE - By staff, AWU, June 20, 2017.
Employers: Drop the dresscodes and let your employees off wearing suits during the heatwave, begs the TUC - By Emma Haslett, City AM, June 19, 2017 - The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called on employers to let staff off wearing suits so they can "work through the heatwave as comfortably as possible"; [related]: Let workers shed suits in hot weather, says trade union body - By staff, BBC, June 19, 2017.
Empower Kentucky Plan Would Create Jobs, Boost Energy Efficiency - By Elizabeth E. Payne, Appalachian Voices, June 15, 2017 - The plan seeks to create jobs and improve health and climate outcomes by focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy and by charging a fee for carbon dioxide pollution.
50+ Interviews With EPA Staff: Trump Poses 'Greatest Threat' to Agency in 47-Year History - By Lorraine Crow, EcoWatch, June 20, 2017 - The group's stunning analysis, The EPA Under Siege, draws on institutional history and the insight of more than 50 interviews with long-term EPA staff, who are unidentified in the report for their protection. The report's authors have identified plummeting morale, mutual distrust between political appointees and career staff, and paralysis of operations within the EPA under current Administrator Scott Pruitt; [related]: Behind the Trumpocene - By Nikhil Swaminathan, Grist, June 20, 2017 | EPA Gives Notice to Dozens of Scientific Advisory Board Members, Plans to Offer Buyout to 1,200 Employees - By Climate Nexus, EcoWatch, June 21, 2017 | Public Records Sought Over Massive Interior Senior Staffing Shake-up - By Taylor McKinnon, Common Dreams, June 21, 2017.
Global front rising up against Uber through the courts and trade unions - By Rachel Knaebel, Equal Times, June 13, 2017 - In addition to the legal battles led by various authorities and taxi drivers, Uber is being fought on another front, by Uber drivers themselves, who are starting to organise to secure better pay and working conditions; [related]: Why Companies Like Uber Get Away With Bad Behavior - By Randall Stross, New York Times, June 13, 2017 | Is the Uber phenomenon killing transit in Sacramento? - By Tony Bizjak, Sacramento Bee, June 19, 2017.
GMO Film Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Blatant Case of Monsanto Corporate Propaganda - By Stacy Malkan, EcoWatch, June 20, 2017 - There is no mention of the carcinogenicity concerns that are engulfing Monsanto in an international science scandal, or the many farmers who are suing Monsanto alleging they got cancer from the company's glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide.
GOP lawmakers challenge Trump’s plan to slash EPA budget - By Mark Hand, ThinkProgress, June 15, 2017 - The Trump administration, in its fiscal year 2018 budget, proposed a 31 percent cut to the EPA’s budget, or $2.4 billion below current funding levels. The agency would lose 3,800 employees under the budget proposal; [related]: Congress to Pruitt: EPA Cuts Are Way Too Extreme - By Climate Nexus, EcoWatch, June 16, 2017 | DOE will shutter office focused on international clean energy development - By Robert Walton, Utility Dive, June 16, 2017 | Pruitt faces bipartisan criticism over White House plan to gut EPA - By Robert Walton, Utility Dive, June 16, 2017 | New email and meeting records show Scott Pruitt is tight with the fossil fuel industry - By Samantha Page, ThinkProgress, June 16, 2017.
Grenfell Tower tragedy: why? - By Mick Brooks, Labour Representation Committee, June 16, 2017 - You cannot close 10 fire stations and slash nearly 600 firefighter jobs without compromising public safety.” When questioned about the closure of frontline services in London at the London Assembly, Johnson told his critics to “get stuffed”; [related]: After Grenfell: ending the murderous war on our protections - By Christine Berry, Red Pepper, June 19, 2017 | After the London Inferno, a Question For Laissez-faire Zealots: Is a Human Life Worth No More Than $100? - By Eamonn Fingleton, CounterPunch, June 19, 2017 | British people respond to Grenfell Fire and call for Social Housing - By Richard Mellor, Facts for Working People, June 17, 2017 | Collective rage, collective care - By David Berrie, People and Nature, June 19, 2017 | Day of Rage: London Marchers Denounce 'Corporate Manslaughter' of Grenfell Tower Victims - By Jon Queally, Common Dreams, June 21, 2017 | Factcheck: Grenfell Tower fire and the Daily Mail’s ‘green targets’ claim - By Leo Hickman, Carbon Brief, June 16, 2017 | A feeling of persecution that runs deep - By Al Mikey, People and Nature, June 19, 2017 | Grenfell Fire: Disaster and Explosive Mood - By John Reimann, Oakland Socialist, June 17, 2017 | The Grenfell fire must be the end of this Tory government; our lives are not safe in their hands - By Jane Shallice, Red Pepper, June 18, 2017 | Grenfell Tower Fire: A Market Driven Disaster - By Richard Mellor, Facts for Working People, June 16, 2017 | Grenfell Tower: Theresa May’s Katrina Moment - By Patrick Cockburn, CounterPunch, June 19, 2017 | Grenfell Tower tragedy shows the Tory government is illegitimate - By Andy Stowe, Socialist Action, June 20, 2017 | In the aftermath of this disaster, we must fight to restore respect and democracy for council tenants - By Glyn Robbins, Red Pepper, June 19, 2017 | Local government conference remembers Grenfell Tower - By staff, Unison, June 18, 2017 | The Monopoly board of the city: Grenfell Tower - where was the HCA, government housing regulator?? - By Red Marriott, libcom.org, Jun 19 2017 | Revealed: How counselling services for firefighters have been cut back - By staff, Fire Brigades Union, June 15, 2017 | A system that let working class people burn - By Corey Oakley, Red Flag, June 19, 2017 | A Tragic Inferno in London Reflects the Terrorism of the Global Free Market - By Stephen Martin, CounterPunch, June 20, 2017 | Why the Grenfell Tower fire means everything must change - By Faiza Shaheen, Red Pepper, June 18, 2017.