green unionism

By Ross Grooters and Nick French - Jacobin, March 15, 2023

Fed up with rail companies putting profits before workers and surrounding communities, the rank-and-file group Railroad Workers United is launching a campaign for railroad nationalization. We spoke with one of their leaders about the proposal.

Just months after a high-profile contract fight between rail unions and railroads ended with Congress imposing a contract on workers, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The environmental and health disaster — exacerbated by the federal government’s lackadaisical response — has laid bare the safety practices of rail carriers.

Railroad Workers United (RWU), a caucus of rank-and-file workers spanning all thirteen national rail unions, has responded to the East Palestine derailment by calling for public ownership of the railroads. According to RWU, the railways cannot be run safely or efficiently so long as they are operated in the pursuit of profit at all costs.

Jacobin spoke with one of the cochairs of RWU, Ross Grooters, about why the group is pushing for railroad nationalization and their efforts to organize with other workers along the supply chain.

By staff - More Perfect Union, March 15, 2023

By Amy Watson - Australian Council of Trade Unions, March 14, 2023

The Business Council of Australia, Australian Council of Trade Unions, World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia and the Australian Conservation Foundation are re-joining forces to represent Australian businesses, workers, and our environment in a joint submission to the 2023-24 Federal Budget.

Prepared by Accenture, Sunshot in 2023: Accelerating towards Australia’s renewable exports opportunity, outlines three key areas of focus to secure a leading role for Australia in the net zero economy, and to ensure all Australians benefit from the global energy transition:

1. World-leading renewable exports industries
2. Sufficient domestic renewable buildout
3. A coordinated, long-term just transition for workers and communities

Australia has made positive steps in each of these key areas, but with major shifts in global policy and significant investments being made by key trading partners, more must be done to maximise Australia’s economic opportunities.

In August 2022, President Biden signed a massive A$532 billion clean energy stimulus package to make America a heavy lifter on clean energy transition. In February 2023, The European Commission followed with its A$410B ‘Green Deal Industrial Plan,’ and a Joint EU-US Taskforce on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was established. South Korea allocated A$90 billion to its ‘Green New Deal,’ and Japan intends to issue A$220B billion in green transition bonds. Even Saudi Arabia plans to invest A$400 billion to become a world leader in renewable hydrogen exports.

The report outlines three specific Budget priorities to accelerate Australia’s transition and grow our renewable export capabilities to ensure we don’t fall further behind:

1. Commit A$10 million in the 2023-24 Budget for the Net Zero Economy Taskforce to develop a National Renewable Exports Strategy
2. Develop a National Renewable Infrastructure Plan to urgently accelerate the development of new renewable energy in Australia
3. Establish and fund an independent national-level Energy Transition Authority

Sunshot 2023 is the second report from the alliance of partners, after its 2021 report Sunshot: Australia’s opportunity to create 395,000 clean export jobs, which set a vision for a low-emissions future with six renewable export opportunities. This updated report concludes the six opportunities could now support over 400,000 jobs and contribute over A$100 billion to the Australian economy by 2040.

Significant developments in global climate policy and energy markets have transformed the terrain for Australian policymakers, major economies have accelerated their shift to renewable energy, and extreme climate-induced weather events have displaced communities and impacted our economy.

Now, huge pools of capital are coalescing around clean technologies, and global competition for investment is intensifying.

Despite being home to some of the best sun, wind and critical mineral resources in the world and having a geographical advantage positioned close to the major economies of Asia, if we don’t match the ambition and pace of our trade partners, we risk losing our window of opportunity and access to the capital required to realise our ambition as a global leader.

By Sarah Lazare - American Prospect, March 14, 2023

Diesel engines have gotten a sweetheart deal from environmental regulators. It’s time that changed:

This article is a joint publication of The American Prospect and Workday Magazine, a nonprofit newsroom devoted to holding the powerful accountable through the perspective of workers.

After working as a rail crew transportation driver for nearly 13 years, Larry Hopkins says he is starting to worry about his health. “Every day that I work, I’m being exposed to the diesel fumes that are bad for our communities,” says the 56-year-old who was born in Blytheville, Arkansas, and now lives on the southwest side of Chicago.

Hopkins works for Hallcon Corporation driving railroad crews, conductors, and engineers to and from rail yards and hotels. His primary pickup and drop-off point used to be Corwith Yard, southwest Chicago’s massive intermodal rail yard that was once the largest in the world. But in recent weeks, he’s been on the road, transporting crews to and from rail yards across Illinois. “Even if you’re picking up crews outside of a railroad, you are still close enough to those locomotives that are giving out the fumes that are polluting our air,” he says.

There is good reason for Hopkins to be concerned. Locomotives typically run with diesel engines that emit nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, both of which are known to harm human health—and even cause premature death. The problem is particularly severe for locomotives that operate within rail yards, making short transfers or assembling trains, because they stay in a small area and are commonly the oldest, dirtiest ones in service. For Hopkins and other members of his union, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), this problem has a cause: inadequate regulation.

Irene HongPing Shen, et. al. - Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, March 13, 2023

By J.T. Chapman - Second Thought, March 11, 2023

By Kerry Taylor-Smith - Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, March 9, 2023

World’s largest trial finds four-day week reaps environmental and health benefits.

Trial suggests that 91% of organisations will continue with a four-day week as employees are happier, less tired, and adopt more pro-environmental behaviours

A four-day working week with no loss of pay could reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by 127 million tonnes – the equivalent of removing the UK’s entire private car fleet from the road - and could help the country meet its binding climate targets.

The world’s largest trial into a reduced working week involved over 60 companies and almost 3,000 workers; it found a four-day week could reduce commuting time by around half an hour per week and slash energy usage in the workplace.

“While definitive estimates of carbon impacts are nearly impossible to put together, we do see encouraging trends on a number of dimensions in our trials: reduced commuting time, reduced commuting by car, people reporting more pro-environmental behaviours over the course of the trial, and absence of a significant travel rebound. These vary a bit across the completed trials but not by a lot,” said Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College and lead researcher at 4 Day Week Global.

Environmental consultancy, Tyler Grange participated in the six-month trial; they reported a daily productivity increase of 22%, and a 21% reduction in the number of miles travelled by car by cutting out unnecessary meetings and travel.

By Clara P, et. al. - Tipping Point, March 9, 2023

By Mary Church, Craig Dalzell, Roz Foyer, Sean Sweeney, Mika Minio-Paluello, et. al. - Just Transition Partnership, March 8, 2023

An online conference organised by the Just Transition Partnership to set out why public ownership of energy production and infrastructure is an essential part of any plans to hit climate change targets.

This event featured experts on how the privatised energy system is giving us fuel poverty, soaring energy prices and profits; and failing to deliver a Just Transition as well as reviewing the publicly-owned solutions in key sectors, from local to national levels.

Introduction: Mary Church - Reclaiming our Energy introduction

By staff - Greener Jobs Alliance, March 8, 2023

This Blog contains a number of statements and briefings on the Ultra Low Emissions Zone extension.

• Editor’s view (pers cap)
• Health impacts of Polluted Air in Outer London – Imperial College
• Mum’s for Lungs view
• Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) statement
• Friends of the Earth Briefing
• The truth about Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – Possible

Making Positive Demands to clean up our air and cut car dependence

Anyone who watched the London Mayor’s Question Time from Ealing last week will not have missed the atmosphere of fear and loathing that make this issue almost as toxic as the air we breathe.

There are four overlapping imperatives when dealing with transport in cities.

That greenhouse gas emissions from transport are a quarter of the UK’s total and have not declined for ten years because, while car engines have become more efficient, more people are driving them, and the models they are driving are heavier. This has to be cut hard and fast to allow us to survive as a society.

People have to get around and, overall, cars are becoming more of a problem than a solution. If the 40% of people in London who don’t have cars did, no one would be able to get anywhere; because the streets would be gridlocked. The individual “aspiration” to own a car becomes socially dystopian if universally realised. For freer flowing, quieter, safer streets, we need fewer cars and fewer car journeys. We will have less of a need to travel inconvenient distances if we enrich our immediate neighbourhoods. 

We need cleaner air for our health and life expectancy. 90% of people want it. Some people drive. Everybody breathes. 

Some people are locked into car use, because they can’t afford to live near work and need concrete affordable alternatives as they are understandably anxious about how they are going to cope.