News Feeds | ecology.iww.org (2024)

Protect Thacker Pass - Tue, 11/07/2023 - 18:39

At Protect Thacker Pass, we’ve heard from people who think that companies should mine lithium in Imperial Valley (“Lithium Valley”) at the Salton Sea because it would be “better” than mining lithium at Thacker Pass.

To be clear up front: Protect Thacker Pass opposes all lithium mining, no matter where it is happening. All lithium extraction is harmful for the environment and unsustainable in the long term (lithium is a nonrenewable material). There is no “better” place to mine lithium.

Earthworks has published a new report that shows the devastating impacts from mining lithium from brine using direct lithium extraction with geothermal power plants. As the report states, there are currently three companies developing this technology.

Their report shows that direct lithium extraction in the Imperial Valley at the Salton Sea will have devastating impacts on the environment, beyond those already created by geothermal energy extraction. These include air pollution, consuming vast quantities of freshwater, degrading the already imperiled Salton Sea ecosystem, hazardous waste, and the potential for earthquakes to cause industrial disasters in the area.

We’ve included the two pages from the summary report as images in this post. The full Earthworks Report is worth reading if you’re interested in learning more about how geothermal power plants work and how direct lithium extraction works in conjunction with geothermal. However, we disagree with some of the conclusions in their report.

Like most large environmental groups, Earthworks believes that mining lithium is important to address the climate crisis, and their conclusions reflect this. They state that the mining should proceed as long as full, prior informed consent of regional tribes is obtained; if hazardous wastes and air pollution are dealt with properly; if companies and local communities “carefully consider” trade-offs with freshwater use; and if the mining companies design power plants with “high standards for seismic safety.”

What they seem not to recognize is that there is no safe way to extract non-renewable materials like lithium from the environment without significant impacts to ecosystems. Ensuring that this extraction is safer doesn’t mean it’s safe. The report also ignores the many other impacts of building technologies like batteries that rely on lithium, or the harms these technologies themselves do to the environment. Lithium extraction is just the first step in a long list of harms on the way to a final product.

Again: we oppose all lithium mining, and indeed, all extraction, for luxury goods that humans can live without. Our priority is the health of the natural world, without which no human or any other living being on Earth can survive.

All images are from the Earthworks report Environmental Justice in California’s Lithium Valley. You can download the full report and summary sheet from https://earthworks.org/resources/lithium-valley/.

Categories: B4. Radical Ecology

Food Chain Workers - Thu, 11/02/2023 - 12:00

We are reinvigorated for the year to come after wrapping up our 12th annual Food Worker Summit last month!

65 workers and organizers from 19 groups gathered in Springdale, Arkansas for this annual convening of FCWA members, welcomed by fellow member and our local host: Venceremos. Here’s a quick recap of four days in Arkansas with leaders from across the Alliance:

Pizza and artmaking at Venceremos HQ with the incredible Chicago ACT Collective

Mistica & Opening Plenary: Struggles & Organizing in the South

Peer-to-peer workshops: Building cooperatives and solidarity economies; Lavender Solidarity: Combating the rise of anti-Queer segments of society & our movement; Workers Organizing around Heat; Processing Workers Organizing; Building Cooperatives and Solidarity Economies; Union Organizing; and more!

Action at Tyson Foods! Tyson is headquartered in Springdale, and on Monday, October 16, Venceremos led us in a march on the HQ to demand accountability on three key issues: inhumane line speeds, high rates of worker injury, and potential child labor in Tyson’s supply chain. When we sent a delegation to deliver our letter, we were told by security that we would have to come back after making an appointment. But the messages from Tyson workers, expressed through powerful art, chants, and speeches could not be ignored. And we will be back!

Learn more in press coverage from the action:Republicans continue effort to erode US child labor rules despite teen deaths (The Guardian, 10/20/23); Protestors urge Arkansas’ Tyson to commit to child labor, worker safety protections (Arkansas Advocate, 10/17/23); and Poultry plant workers protest child labor, ask for better working conditions (Arkansas Times, 10/16/23)

Plenary: Power Mapping our Movement; Member-to-Member Discussion on Racial Capitalism

The summit is a highlight for FCWA members and staff every year, and where we build and strengthen so many important relationships across our movement. We are grateful to all the members who made time to attend and lead sessions, to everyone who supported this annual event by donating, and especially to our incredible local hosts Venceremos.

Until next year!

The post Recap: Food Worker Summit in Arkansas appeared first on Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Categories: K2. Labor News

Protect Thacker Pass - Sat, 09/30/2023 - 21:38

Mountaintop removal for lithium to go into electric vehicle batteries is ecocide, just like mountaintop removal for coal mining is.

Earlier this week, I visited the site of yet another planned open pit lithium mine that is threatening the Great Basin — this time, in the state of Oregon. This site, about 15 miles north of Thacker Pass, is vital habitat for the Lahontan cutthroat trout, sage grouse, and countless other species — and it would be completely destroyed if the mine is built.

Yes, global warming is a crisis, and yes, we must stop burning fossil fuels. But this is not the way forward. This is an addict seeking another hit. The “green” energy economy destroys the planet, same as the old fossil fuel energy economy. This project is another greenwashing lie, just as we wrote about in “Bright Green Lies.” If you want a primer, read that book and watch the film version of “Bright Green Lies” and Jeff Gibb’s “Planet of the Humans.”

In honor of the late Utah Phillips, I’ve listed the names and addresses of the people who run Jindalee Corporation on a previous Substack article.

To stay up to date and get involved, please visit Protect Thacker Passand signup for our email updates.

Transcript

So we’re here at the site of the proposed HiTech Minerals / Jindalee Corporation lithium mine. This is the next lithium project coming to the McDermitt Caldera. We’re sitting here at the north end of the Caldera, so this big rim of mountains all the way around us, this is surrounding what is now a basin at the north end of the Caldera which collapsed; like Crater Lake is the Caldera of what was once Mount Mazama that then collapsed. Similarly, here we have this lowered down Caldera and in here is the lithium, all through the soils of this region. The mining company has already been doing some test drilling up in the hills up here, checking out how much lithium there is in the soil and gathering the data that they need to figure out if it’s economically feasible to do their project. Unfortunately I think it likely will be, although we’ll see. This project is likely at least several years behind the Thacker Pass lithium mine in terms of progress, probably more like three or four years behind, but it’s coming, and right now there’s a permitting process that they’re engaged in with the BLM office based in Vale, Oregon to try to get a permit for additional test drilling out here. They want to do test drilling for four or five years, I believe six or seven months out of the year, 24/7. And so they would stop in the winter time and in the early spring but other than that they would be drilling 24 hours a day, seven days a week out here with multiple drilling rigs operating at a time.

Right now, this area is not pristine as you can see right behind me. We’re on a road right now. This area has been grazed. There is some impact to this area, but this is still intact land. And what I was thinking of before I decided to pull out the camera and record this video is how the dominant culture has this sort of progressive escalation of exploitation. So first they’ll come into an area, and if it’s a forest they’ll cut down the trees and they’ll exploit that for what wealth they can generate; then they’ll convert it to agriculture and exploit the soil for what wealth it can generate; then if there’s greater wealth available by developing it for housing or building a town or something like that, they’ll do that. And so that’s what we’re seeing here. This area has been used for cattle grazing for many years. And now the next level of exploitation is pending as we speak.

The area that they’re surveying is about six miles east to west and about four miles north to south. It’s a very significant area out here. There’s also two other lithium companies that are prospecting for lithium in the same basin within just a few miles of where we sit, further east on the east side of the Jindalee project. So there could be three separate lithium mines operating in this location in the future. Over the last couple days we drove over the top of the Montana Mountains south from here to the top of Thacker Pass, overlooking Thacker Pass, and that whole way there’s lithium claims – mining companies have staked lithium claims for lithium up there, including Lithium Americas Corporation. So there is a very real possibility that over the coming decades this entire landscape could become an industrialized sacrifice zone, and we’re talking about an area that’s something like 25 miles north to south and 10 miles wide – a huge region.

This is incredibly important habitat. We were just down at McDermitt Creek which is vital habitat for the Lahontan cutthroat trout, a threatened fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act. This is vital habitat for Sage-Grouse. We’ve seen about eight female Sage-Grouse on the trip so far. They use this area – there are “leks” in this area where they do their breeding. Those will be abandoned if there’s too much disturbance in this area. There’s pronghorn antelope out here, mule deer, all kinds of wildlife. And up in these mountains all around us are wilderness areas. There’s something like one, two, three, four, five separate wilderness areas surrounding us right now in a big arc on the west side, the south-west, and up here to the north. Those wilderness areas have some protection, which is excellent, but that protection doesn’t mean that much if all the connectivity corridors between them, all the lands around them are industrialized, if you have all this air pollution being generated right below them that’s going directly onto the waterways and the forests that hang on to the slopes of these high mountains up here.

And of course, this is also a very culturally important area, traditionally. We’re only a few miles from the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone reservation. But, you know, the reservation system was created after colonization and prior to that there was no such thing as the Fort McDermitt tribe. There were these different bands of the local indigenous nations and those bands have been scattered and they have interrelationships. So the people whose ancestors spent time and lived on this terrain are at Burns Paiute Tribe, they’re at Fort McDermitt, they’re at Reno Sparks, they’re at the Pyramid Lake Tribe, they’re in Duck Valley. They’re all over these different reservations, these different tribes, modern tribes that we have now. And so this is a culturally very important place.

And what I’m hoping we’ll see here, what we didn’t see at Thacker Pass, is a growing resistance to this project starting early. Thacker Pass was snuck through by the Trump administration during the height of Covid. They expedited the permitting to try to avoid democracy basically, to try to avoid input from the people. And so we have a chance now with this project being more in the early stages to have more input and to have a chance to stop this thing before it even starts. They’ve already done some damage with the drilling and they can’t put that right. They’re supposed to “remediate” it. Basically their remediation consists of heaping some soil across the road and a few rocks so that hopefully nobody drives on the road that they created, and throwing out some seeds and hoping that they germinate. It’s basically a joke. So that damage has been done. There’s more drilling probably coming up soon, but I want folks to stay tuned, you know? We’ve been working to protect Thacker Pass and us and many other groups and individuals are going to be working to protect the Mcdermitt Caldera as a whole. And we’re going to need your help.

Categories: B4. Radical Ecology

IWW Austria - Sun, 09/10/2023 - 14:34

Categories: C1. IWW

Food Chain Workers - Tue, 08/08/2023 - 13:05

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On June 30 2023, Representative Lofgren and other house members introduced a new version of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2023). Food Chain Workers Alliance farmworker members are appalled by the decision to put this bill forward for a third time. The FWMA is a bill at the service of the agriculture industry, and a threat to migrant farmworkers and their families.

It is unacceptable that the proponents of this bill have not engaged in dialogue with the many farmworkers and grassroots farmworker organizations across the country who do not want to revive the FWMA.

Together, our Alliance will continue to oppose this pro-deportation and anti-labor bill, as we have since its first appearance in 2019. The days of accepting dehumanizing laws because they are “the best we can get” are over. Farmworkers deserve better, and they will keep fighting to build a better future for themselves and their families.

Learn more about FCWA members’ opposition to this bill in coverage from the last time we opposed it: here and here.

_________________

El 30 de junio 2023, el Representante Lofgren y otros miembros de la cámara baja introdujeron una nueva versión de Ley de Modernización de Los Trabajadores Agrícolas (Ley de Modernización de Los Trabajadores Agrícolas de 2023). Los miembros trabajadores agrícolas de Food Chain Workers Alliance están consternados por la decisión de introducir el proyecto de ley por tercera vez. La FWMA es un proyecto de ley al servicio de la industria agrícola, y es una amenaza para los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes y sus familias.

Es inaceptable que los proponentes de este proyecto de ley no hayan participado en diálogo con muchos trabajadores agrícolas y organizaciones de trabajadores agrícolas de base en el país que no quieren revivir la FWMA.

Juntos, nuestra Alianza continuará oponiéndose a este proyecto de ley pro-deportación y anti-laboral, así como lo hemos hecho desde su primera introducción en el 2019. Los tiempos en que aceptamos leyes deshumanizantes porque eran “las mejores que podemos tener” se acabaron. Los trabajadores merecen algo mejor, y continuarán luchando por un mejor futuro para ellos mismos y sus familias.

Aprenda más sobre la oposición de los miembros de FCWA a este proyecto de ley en la cobertura de la última vez en que lo opusimos: aquí y aquí.

The post FWMA : Here We Go Again appeared first on Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Categories: K2. Labor News

IWW Austria - Thu, 06/15/2023 - 13:25

Löhne Rauf – Arbeitszeit Runter! +20% Gehaltserhöhung und eine Arbeitszeitverkürzung auf 35 Stunden pro Woche bei vollem Lohn- und Personalausgleich! Das sind die Forderungen der Basisgruppe Obdach Wien bei den KV-Verhandlungen der FSW Unternehmensgruppe. Als IWW haben wir die Beschäftigten bei ihrer gestrigen Protestkundgebung unterstützt. Die Wut auf die FSW Geschäftsführung war deutlich spührbar, verdienen die Beschäftigten beim FSW doch deutlich weniger als ihr Kolleg:innen im SWÖ Kollektivvertrag. Wir freuen uns das es bei FSW Obdach eine aktive Basisgruppe gibt die sich für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen einsetzt und werden diese Tatkräftig unterstützen.

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Sat, 06/03/2023 - 15:45

Als Basisgewerkschaft IWW unterstützen wir den Aufruf der Basisgruppe von Obdach Wien zur Kundgebung am Kollektivvertragsverhandlungstag! Unterschreibt auch die Petition: https://mein.aufstehn.at/petitions/fur-bessere-arbeitsbedingungen-beim-fonds-soziales-wien

“Am 14.06. findet die Abschlussrunde der Kollektivvertragsverhandlungen des Fonds Soziales Wien (FSW) statt und wir als Basisgruppe von Obdach Wien nehmen diesen Tag zum Anlass um gegen die ausbeuterischen, neoliberalen Arbeitsbedingungen des FSW und dessen Sozialpolitik zu protestieren.
Die untragbaren Arbeitsbedingungen mit 6-Tage-Wochen und Unterbesetzung in einem ohnehin schon sehr fordernden Arbeitsbereich führen zu ständiger Fluktuation und Krankenständen – und werden dafür nicht einmal angemessen entlohnt. Stattdessen bewerten unsere Führungskräfte anhand von Kategorien wie „Umgang mit persönlichen Ressourcen” unsere „Arbeits“leistung und entscheiden somit, ob wir eine Leistungsprämie verdient haben oder nicht. Der FSW ist als Träger nicht nur für die miesen Arbeitsbedingungen der direkten Mitarbeiter*innen verantwortlich, sondern hat als bedeutendste Förderer sozialer Einrichtungen in Wien Einfluss auf den Großteil des Sozialbereichs in Wien.

Wir sind wütend und wir lassen uns das nicht mehr gefallen!

Kommt alle und bringt eure Wut auf die Sozialpolitik Wiens zu denen, die dafür verantwortlich sind!!”

Categories: C1. IWW

Food Chain Workers - Tue, 05/16/2023 - 08:00

artwork by Emitxin

New Report Exposes Corporate Control of Public Supply Chains and the Communities Reclaiming Them
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A new report released today from the Food Chain Workers Alliance and HEAL Food Alliance analyzes how grassroots leaders have won policies in 10 U.S. cities that hold institutions accountable to purchasing food from suppliers who support people working on the frontlines, local communities, animals, and the environment – collectively influencing over $540 million in public food dollars.

Procuring Food Justice: Grassroots Solutions for Reclaiming Public Supply Chains distills lessons from a decade of organizing to offer advocates a new blueprint for leveraging a “values-based purchasing” strategy to challenge corporate control of public food and redirect billions of taxpayer dollars toward small producers, producers of color, and suppliers with fair labor practices.

“This new analysis reveals how just a handful of corporations have seized near-total control of our public supply chains so they can rake in profits while paying workers poverty wages, putting lives at risk with hazardous working conditions, and retaliating against workers who exercise their right to organize,” said Christina Spach, Food Campaigns Director at the Food Chain Workers Alliance. “This report outlines opportunities for leveraging public contracts to hold these corporations accountable. In order for public contracts to reflect public values, we must demand transparency from suppliers and establish consequences for companies that do not follow fair labor practices.”

“Three out of five kids rely on the food served in public schools, and they deserve food systems that support them, not entrench them in the current state of inequality” said Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director at HEAL Food Alliance. “These massive food corporations are using taxpayer dollars to increase their own profit margins at the expense of our children, working people, and the planet. The solutions detailed in this report show that it is possible to get quality, nutritious, and sustainable food into schools and other public feeding programs – where kids and families need it most.”

The report draws on the testimonies of organizers and advocates on the ground, including surveys of 83 people working on the frontlines of production and warehousing; case studies with farmers, food aggregators, and processing plant workers; and 50 interviews with organizers, farmers, advocates, and academics. The report concludes that there are two primary needs for the future success of this work: supply chain transparency and real enforcement mechanisms.

“Our local work to implement values-based food procurement is only possible with meaningful support from our state government. New York has some of the most restrictive procurement laws in the country, so we are keenly aware that lowest bidder requirements are incredibly prohibitive and do not create enough space for food purchasing to be democratized across municipalities. Eliminating lowest bidder requirements and lifting barriers to values-based food procurement allows municipalities to make decisions about their institutional food purchasing needs that are aligned with the values of the communities they are serving.”

Ribka Getachew
Director of the NY Good Food Purchasing Program Campaign
Community Food Advocates

“I asked for the data [for procurement contracts]. Who bought from whom? Who ends up with the contracts? The three privileged white farmers that already had a monopoly on everything because they “work with organic methods.” Well, so do all of us [ACN’s Black, Indigenous and producers of color], but because they had that longevity of farming, they also had the capital, the land, the resources, the labor, and they had their white skin privilege.”

Helga Garcia-Garza
Director of Agri-Cultura Co-operative Network

The full report is available at: procuringfoodjustice.org

_____________

El Nuevo Reporte Expone el Control Corporativo de Las Cadenas Públicas de Distribución de Suministros y las Comunidades que las Reclama.

Un nuevo reporte publicado hoy por Food Chain Workers Alliance y HEAL Food Alliance analiza la manera que los líderes de base han ganado políticas en 10 ciudades de EE.UU. que tiene instituciones responsables para comprar alimentos de los proveedores que apoyan a las personas trabajando en las primeras líneas, las comunidades locales, los animales, y el medio ambiente – colectivamente influyendo más de $540 millones en dólares de alimentos públicos.

Adquirir la Justicia Alimentaria: Soluciones de Base para Reclamar Las Cadenas Públicas De Distribución destila lecciones de una década de organizar para ofrecerle a los promotores un nuevo plan para potenciar la estrategia “comprar basado en valores” para retar el control corporativo de los alimentos públicos y redirigir miles de millones de dólares de contribuyentes hacia pequeños productores, productores de color, y proveedores con practicas laborales justas.

“Este nuevo análisis revela cuánto un manojo de corporaciones han tomado un control casi total de nuestras cadenas públicas de distribución de suministros para que puedan embolsarse las ganancias mientras le pagan a los trabajadores sueldos de nivel de pobreza, poniendo a riesgo los derechos a organizar,” dijo Christina Spach, Directora de Campañas de Alimentos de Food Chain Workers Alliance. “Este reporte perfila las oportunidades para aprovechar los contratos públicos para hacer responsables a estas corporaciones. Para que los contratos públicos reflejen los valores públicos, tenemos que exigir transparencia de los proveedores y establecer consecuencias para las compañías que no siguen las prácticas laborales justas.”

“Tres de cada cinco niños dependen de los alimentos que se sirven en las escuelas públicas, y merecen sistemas de alimentos que los apoyen, no que los afiance en el estado actual de desigualdad,” dijo Jose Oliva, el Director de Campañas de HEAL Food Alliance. Estas corporaciones masivas de alimentos usan los dólares de los contribuyentes para aumentar su propio margen a costa de nuestros hijos, la gente trabajadora, y el planeta. Las soluciones detalladas en este reporte demuestran que es posible obtener alimentos de calidad, nutriente y sostenible en las escuelas y otros programas públicos de alimentación – en donde los niños y las familias más lo necesitan.

El reporte recurre de los testimonios de organizadores y de defensores sobre el terreno, incluyendo encuestas de 83 personas que trabajan en la primera línea de la producción y los almacenes; estudios monográficos con agricultores, agregadores de alimentos, y trabajadores de plantas de procesamiento; y 50 entrevistas con organizadores, agricultores, defensores, e investigadores. El reporte concluye que hay dos necesidades principales para el éxito de este trabajo en el futuro: la transparencia de la cadena de producción y mecanismos auténticos de responsabilidad.

“Nuestro trabajo de implementar la adquisición de alimentos basados en valores sólo es posible con apoyo significativo de nuestro gobierno estatal. Nueva York tiene una de las leyes de adquisición más restrictivas en el país, por eso estamos plenamente conscientes de que los requisitos más bajos del licitador son increíblemente prohibitivos y no crean espacio suficiente para que la compra de alimentos sea democratizada en las municipalidades. Eliminar los requisitos más bajos del licitador y levantar las barreras de la adquisición de alimentos basados en los valores le permite a las municipalidades tomar decisiones sobre su necesidad de compras de alimentos institucionales para que estén más alineadas con los valores de las comunidades que sirven.”

Ribka Getachew
Directora de NY Good Food Purchasing Program Campaign
Community Food Advocates

“Yo pedí la información [para los contratos de adquisición]. ¿Quién compró de quien? ¿Quién se queda con los contratos? Los tres agricultores blancos privilegiados que ya tienen un monopolio de todo porque ellos “trabajan con métodos orgánicos.” Pues, tambien todos nosotros [Las personas negras, indígenas y productors de color de ACN], pero porque han tenido la larga duracion de la agriculturas, tambien han tenido el capital, la tierra, los recursos, el labor, y han tenido el privilegio de su piel blanca.”

Helga Garcia-Garza
Directora de Agri-Cultura Co-operative Network

Puede encontrar el reporte completo en: procuringfoodjustice.org

The post Procuring Food Justice: read our new report on a decade of values-based procurement appeared first on Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Categories: K2. Labor News

Food Chain Workers - Mon, 05/01/2023 - 09:13

On International Workers’ Day, we’re excited to announce the launch of our Food Workers Organizing Institute!
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Since our founding in 2009, the Food Chain Workers Alliance has been committed to building organized worker density in the food chain with strategies led by members. To achieve that vision, we support 33 member groups — representing hundreds of thousands of food workers from the fields to the check-out counters — to amplify their organizing projects, build their leadership skills, and foster solidarity across the food system.

Over the past three years, we have responded to members’ desire for more programming for workers and senior organizers to build skills, share strategies, and develop organizing projects with peer support. The Food Workers Organizing Institute combines existing programs with a few new ones:

Food Sector-based cohorts: Workers from FCWA member groups learn and share organizing strategies, campaign planning and power analysis skills. Meetings are led by FCWA staff and a range of guest speakers.

Member Organizer Fellowship: Workers and organizers from FCWA member groups expand their work under the mentorship of our staff, and receive funding to spend one day per week on an organizing project important to their sector.

Senior Organizer Trainings: One-off trainings on strategy and organizing tools for experienced organizers. Upcoming topics include overcoming employer retaliation and supply chain mapping.

Conducting these programs virtually makes them more accessible to workers and allows us to convene participants from across North America. We provide iPads, wifi hotspots, tech support, language interpretation, and stipends to workers to ensure accessibility.

As an alliance of groups organizing workers across the entire food chain, we have the unique opportunity to create a pipeline of worker organizers to connect with the larger food movement and effect meaningful changes to our food system. Stay tuned for more updates from these spaces and check out the FCWA blog to meet our 2023 Member Fellows!

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¡En el Día de los Trabajadores Internacionales, estamos emocionados de anunciar el lanzamiento del Instituto de Los Trabajadores de Alimentos Organizando!

Desde nuestra fundación en el 2009, Food Chain Workers Alliance ha estado comprometida a construir una densidad de trabajadores organizados en la cadena alimenticia con estrategias lideradas por los miembros. Para alcanzar esa visión, apoyamos a 33 grupos miembros — representando a cientos de miles de trabajadores de alimentos desde los campos hasta las cajas registradoras — para amplificar sus proyectos organizativos, construir sus habilidades de liderazgo, y promover la solidaridad en todo el sistema alimentario.

En los últimos tres años, hemos respondido a los deseos de los miembros de más programación para los trabajadores y organizadores de senioridad para construir habilidades, compartir estrategias, y desarrollar proyectos organizativos con el apoyo de los compañeros. El Instituo de Trabajadores de Alimentos Organizando combina los programas existentes con algunos nuevos:

Cohortes basados por sector de alimentos: Los trabajadores de los grupos miembros de FCWA aprenden y comparten estrategias organizativas, planificación de campañas y habilidades de análisis de poder. Las reuniones son lideradas por el personal de FCWA y una gama de oradores invitados.

Compañerismo de Organizadores Miembros: Los Trabajadores y organizadores de los miembros grupos de FCWA expanden su trabajo bajo la orientación de nuestro personal, y reciben fondos para dedicar un día por semana a un proyecto organizativo importante para su sector.

Capacitaciones para los Organizadores de Senioridad: Capacitaciones únicas sobre herramientas de estrategia y de organización para organizadores con más experiencia. Los próximos temas incluyen superar las represalias del empleador y mapeo de la cadena de distribución de suministros.

Realizando estos programas virtualmente los haces más accesibles a los trabajadores y nos permite convocar a participantes de toda Norte America. Proveemos iPads, epicentros de conexión inalámbrica, apoyo de tecnología, interpretación de lenguaje, y estipendios para los trabajadores para asegurar la facilidad de acceso.

Como una alianza de grupos de trabajadores organizando en toda la cadena alimenticia, tenemos una única oportunidad para crear una formación de trabajadores organizadores para conectar con el movimiento general de alimentos y realizar cambios significativos en nuestro sistema de alimentos. Esté atento para más actualizaciones de estos espacios y ¡revise el blog de FCWA para conocer a nuestros Becarios Miembros de 2023!

The post The Food Workers Organizing Institute! appeared first on Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Categories: K2. Labor News

IWW Austria - Wed, 04/12/2023 - 14:12

Weltweit finden am 12. Mai, dem internationalen ME/CFS Tag, unterschiedliche Protestaktionen statt.

Deshalb versammeln wir uns an dem Tag von 10-12 Uhr vor der PVA Salzburg (Schallmooser Hauptstraße 11) um mehr Aufmerksamkeit für ME/CFS zu schaffen.
Wir werden gegen Ende unserer Versammlung schwarze Heliumballone steigen lassen. Jeder Ballon ist mit einer Notiz versehen, welche ein Statement oder eine Botschaft von ME/CFS Betroffenen enthält.

Gerne könnt ihr uns eure eigenen Botschaften an salzburg@iww.or.at schicken.

Wir kämpfen weiterhin für eine tiefgreifende Erforschung der Erkrankung, sowie die Freigabe bereits entwickelter lebenswichtiger Medikamente. Die betroffenen Menschen stehen im Mittelpunkt und nicht der wirtschaftliche Profit!

Solidarity forever!

– Die ME/CFS Soligruppe der
IWW in Österreich

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Sun, 04/02/2023 - 13:48

Tanzen mit den Wobblies! Eine Veranstaltung der IWW Innsbruck.
In Solidarität mit der Initiative Bürglkopf schliessen!

Am 8. und 9.4. findet ein internationales Treffen der Basisgewerkschaft IWW in Innsbruck statt. Wir möchten dabei nicht nur unter uns bleiben! Deshalb laden wir zu einem geselligen Abend am 9.4. ins Cafe Lotta.
Neben tanzbarer Live-Musik wird es bestimmt auch Raum für Austausch geben. Kommt vorbei und lernt uns kennen.
Getreu unserem Motto „Solidarity forever“ wollen wir aber nicht ausschließlich zum feiern zusammen kommen.
Da wir die stabile, solidarische Arbeit der „Initiative Bürglkopf schliessen“ schätzen und der Gruppe sehr verbunden sind, wollen wir den Abend auch nutzen um sie zu unterstützen. Wir wollen am Abend auch ihrer wichtigen Arbeit Raum und ihnen die Möglichkeit geben dafür Spenden zu sammeln. Das Geld wird vor allem benötigt, um regelmäßige Fahrten zum so genannten „Rückkehrzentrum“ am Bürglkopf zu garantieren und generell geflüchtete dort zu unterstützen wo der Staat versagt.

Am 9.4.2023 ab 19:00
Im Cafe Lotta – Haller Str. 1 – 6020 IBK
Live-Musik ab ca. 20:15 von
Lary an the Lobsters – Riot GRRRL meets 90’s Grunge…Girl Punk for the lost souls out there
BAZAARplus – Electro up- & downtempo plus Live Instrument

Solidarity forever! Refugees Welcome!
www.iww.or.at–linksvominn.noblogs.org–facebook.com/buerglkopfschliessen

IWW Innsbruck

English Version:

Dancing with the Wobblies! An event by the IWW Innsbruck.
In solidarity with Initiative Bürglkopf schliessen!

On the 8th and 9th of April the trade union IWW comes together for an international meeting in Innsbruck. As we want to get in contact with other people, we invite you to an social evening at Cafe Lotta on the 9th of April.
Besides danceable Live-Music there will, for sure, also be space to chat and connect with each other. Come on over and get to know us.
As our slogan is „Solidarity forever“ we don’t want to come together only for the celebrating.
As we honour the stable, solid work from, and are close to the group „Initiative Bürgklkopf schliessen“ we want to use the evening to support them. We want to give some space for their important work and the oppurtinity to collect donations for it. The money is needed to guarantee regular visits at the so-called „Rückkehrzentrum“ on Bürglkopf, as well as to support refugees where the state fails in generall.

On the 9th of April from 7pm/19:00
At Cafe Lotta – Haller Str. 1 – 6020 Innsbruck
Live music starts about 8:15pm/20:15 by
Lary an the Lobsters – Riot GRRRL meets 90’s Grunge…Girl Punk for the lost souls out there
BAZAARplus – Electro up- & downtempo plus Live Instrument

Solidarity forever! Refugees Welcome!
www.iww.or.at–linksvominn.noblogs.org–facebook.com/buerglkopfschliessen

IWW Innsbruck

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Sun, 11/13/2022 - 10:08

Am 9.12 veranstalten wir in Innsbruck, Salzburg und Wien jeweils von 10-15 Uhr eine Kundgebung vor der ÖGK um mehr Wahrnehmung für die Betroffenen von der Krankheit ME/CFS zu schaffen. Auch fordern wir seitens der Krankenkassa einen besseren Umgang mit den Betroffenen.

Die Myalgische Enzephalomyelitis, bzw. das Chronisches Fatigue Syndrom kurz ME/CFS ist eine organische Störung der Luftaufnahme im Blut. Sie ist verbreitet (bis zu 35.000 Fälle in Österreich lt. Ärztekammer) aber weitgehend unerforscht und derzeit ohne anerkannte Heilungsmöglichkeiten. Im Zuge der COVID-19 Pandemie hat die Zahl der Erkrankten Personen deutlich zugenommen: circa die Hälfte der Long-COVID-Patient:innen erfüllt, nach einem halben Jahr Erkrankungsdauer, die Diagnosekriterien.

Das CFS, sowie dessen Entwicklung durch Viruserkrankungen ist seit Jahren bekannt. Trotzdem mangelt es an gesellschaftlicher Akzeptanz als “offizielle” Krankheit: Die Symptome scheinen bei Routineuntersuchungen nicht auf, was zu falschen Diagnosen, (z.B. psychosomatischer Depression) führt oder mit Aussagen wie „Das bildest du dir doch alles nur ein.“ abgetan wird. In Folge bekommen die Betroffenen neben einer falschen Behandlung, auch Pflegestufen oder den Behindertenstatus nicht anerkannt und aufgrund dessen keine existenzsichernden Transferleistungen.Es sind vor allem junge Menschen betroffen, welche noch keine Versicherungszeiten ansammeln konnten und somit nicht einmal Anspruch auf Kranken- und Arbeitslosengeld haben. Nicht zuletzt darum kämpfen wir für eine tiefgreifende Erforschung dieser Erkrankung, sowie die Freigabe bereits entwickelter lebenswichtiger Medikamente – unabhängig vom wirtschaftlichen Profit.Die betroffenen Menschen stehen im Mittelpunkt. Die Gesellschaft muss ihre Krankheit ernst nehmen und ihnen die Unterstützung ermöglichen, die sie benötigen.Solidarity forever! – Die ME/CFS Soligruppe der IWW in Österreich

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Mon, 11/07/2022 - 04:33

Warum streiken wir am 08.11.2022?

In den letzten Wochen haben Gewerkschaft und der Verband der österreichischen Sozial- und Gesundheitsunternehmen (SWÖ) einen neuenKollektivvertragverhandelt. Bei der letzten Verhandlungsrunde am 19.10.2022 der Gewerkschaft für Privatangestellten (GPA) derVerkehrs- und Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft VIDA und der „Sozialwirtschaft Österreich – SWÖ”konnte keine Einigung gefunden werden.

Die Gewerkschaften hatten eineErhöhung der Gehälter um 15% gefordert. Außerdem sollte dieErhöhung mindestens € 350,- brutto bei einer Vollzeitanstellungausmachen.
Das Gegenangebot der SWÖ-Unternehmen war eine Erhöhung um 7,5% und mindestens € 150,- brutto mehr bei einer Vollzeitanstellung.
Bei den Verhandlungen geht es aber auch um eineVerkürzung der Arbeitszeit auf 35 Stundenpro Woche, ohne Kürzungen der Gehälter. Die Gewerkschaften fordern außerdem eine bessereAnrechnung von Vordienstzeiten, eineVerdoppelungderFlexibilisierungszuschlägeundZuschlägeauf alleMehrstunden bei Teilzeitanstellungen(fast alle von uns arbeiten Teilzeit).

Wenn Beschäftigte in Verhandlungen nichts erreichen, können sie protestieren und so den Druck erhöhen. Dafür gibt es unterschiedliche Möglichkeiten: Unterschriftenlisten, Kundgebungen, Fotoaktionen, Demonstrationen und eben einen Streik.

Bei unserer Betriebsversammlung am 19.10.2022 beschloss eine Mehrheit, dass wiram 08.11.2022 von 12.00 bis 17.00 Uhr streiken. Außerdem wurde beschlossen, dieBetriebsversammlung am 08.11.2022 von 10.00 bisvoraussichtlich17.00 Uhrfortzusetzen.

Das Ziel istmehr Geld und weniger Arbeitsbelastungfür alle Beschäftigten in der Sozialwirtschaft. Denn die steigenden Preise und der Stress belasten uns alle!

Es sind auch Wobblies am Streik beteiligt.

Solidarität ist herzlich willkommen: Es gibt eineDemo am 8.11. um 14:30h, TreffpunktChristian Broda Platz (U3 Westbahnhof).

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Mon, 10/17/2022 - 04:09

Lästiges Quietschen, die Räder laufen nicht mehr ganz so rund und die Bremsen sind auch nicht mehr wirklich zuverlässig. Wer öfters unterwegs ist wird früher oder später Verschleiß am eigenen Fahrrad feststellen. Fahrradbot:innen, sehen sich durch den erhöhten Einsatz ihres Fahrrads um einiges häufiger damit konfrontiert. Um den Reparaturkosten etwas entgegenzuwirken wurde im Kollektivvertrag ein Kilometergeld festgelegt. Trotz dieser Pauschale gehen regelmäßige Reparaturen aufs Geld. Mit unserer Bike Kitchen möchten wir leistbaren Zugang zu Fahrradreparaturen ermöglichen. Auch wenn du nicht als Fahrradbot:in angestellt bist, kannst du gerne dein Fahrrad vorbeibringen. Unsere Bike Kitchen läuft nach dem Pay-as-you-can Prinzip. Das bedeutet, dass du für die Reparatur so viel zahlst wie du möchtest.

Am 29.10 sind wir zwischen 14 und 18 Uhr bei der Neuen Mitte Lehen und schrauben gemeinsam mit euch an euren Fahrrädern.

Annoying squeaks, the wheels are out-of-true, and the breaks are not as reliable as they used to be. Everyone who cycles regularly is sooner or later confronted with wear and tear on their bike. Bike Messengers see themselves confronted more often since they use their bikes a lot more. As a way to counteract, a kilometre allowance was introduced as part of the collective bargaining agreement. Even with kilometre allowance, having your bike repaired on a regular basis costs a lot of money. With our bike kitchen we want to give everyone access to affordable bike repair. You can come over and bring your bike even if you are not employed as a bike messenger. Our Bike Kitchen is pay-as-you-can, which means you decide what you pay for the repair.

On the 29th of October we will be at Neue Mitte Lehen from 2 to 6 pm helping you fix your bike.

Categories: C1. IWW

IWW Austria - Wed, 10/05/2022 - 05:09

Hast auch du Schwierigkeiten, über den Monat zu kommen oder machst dir jetzt schon Sorgen vor der nächsten Rechnung?
Du arbeitest immer mehr und am Ende reicht es trotzdem nicht?
Dir liegt etwas Gerechtigkeit und Solidarität?
Du hast eine Idee, wie wir diese Worte Praxis werden lassen können?
Möchtest du dich mit anderen zu sozialen Problemen austauschen?

Dann komm am 26. Oktober ab 19:00 in den Stadtteiltreff Reichenau (Innsbruck). Nach einem kleinen thematischen Vortrag wollen wir uns gemeinsam die Frage stellen:

Warum wird alles teurer und was können wir dagegen tun?

Weitere Infos gibt es hier!

Categories: C1. IWW

Build Back Fossil Free - Fri, 04/15/2022 - 16:12

Washington D.C.- Build Back Fossil Free, a coalition of over 1,100 groups pressuring the Biden Administration to declare a climate emergency and end the federal approval of new fossil fuel projects, released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s plans to release resume onshore oil and gas leasing:

“Today, President Biden violated his promise to end drilling on public lands with yet another handout to the fossil fuel industry. Black, Indigenous, communities of the global majority and poor communities are being left devastated from climate chaos and we are tired of the excuses and inaction from this Administration. The reality is simple: they said they would act to curb the climate crisis, yet they fail to do so at every crucial opportunity that is presented to them. Scientists continue to ring the alarm, there is no time to waste.

“Families are already paying the price of decades of fossil fuel dependence, creating record profits for oil and gas CEOs who exploit the current crisis. Minor changes will do little to break Big Oil’s stranglehold on our economy and our communities. This decision sacrifices the health and future of Black and Indigenous people, and communities of the global majority – all while doing nothing to lower gas prices. Meanwhile, more drilling will poison frontline communities and deepen the climate crisis.

“If Biden truly wants to help families and communities, he can use his executive authority to declare a climate emergency, end the federal approval of new fossil fuel projects, and deploy major investments in delivering 100% renewable energy for all. Until then, the proof is in his actions, not his words. And his actions are putting the fossil fuel industry’s profits before the health and safety of our families and communities over and over again.”

The oil and gas industry continues raking in record profits while communities pay the price. The watchdog organization Accountable.US reported in February that Shell, Chevron, BP and Exxon made more than $75.5 billion in profits in 2021, some of their highest profits in the past decade.

The communities most at risk from new fossil fuel extraction are primarily Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples, people of the global majority and those on the frontlines of fossil fuel industry expansion. These are the same communities that turned out in record numbers to get Biden elected in 2020 and who have since been urging Biden to use his executive authority to fulfill his campaign promise and ban new federal fossil fuel projects. In March, these communities were joined by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in urging the President to ban new federal fossil fuel leases.

Several analyses show that climate pollution from the world’s already-producing fossil fuel developments, if fully developed, would push warming past 1.5 degrees Celsius, and that avoiding such warming requires ending new investment in fossil fuel projects. Thousands of organizations and communities from across the U.S. have called on Biden to halt federal fossil fuel expansion and phase out production consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius.

Additional statements from climate, social justice and environmental organizations on moves by the Biden Administration and BLM to restart drilling:

“As frontline community members in the Permian Basin that have been advocating for putting a stop to new oil and gas leasing on federal lands, Citizens Caring for the Future finds it extremely disheartening that BLM is going forward with these lease sales,” said Kayley Shoup of Citizens Caring for the Future. “Our day-to-day life and health is directly affected by these sales and the subsequent production that comes along with them. It would take a small army to truly enforce regulation here in the Permian, and we know that is the reality in oil and gas regions around the country. We live our lives surrounded by the industry and we understand that in order to take on climate change and make a meaningful dent in emissions the Biden administration must take action that puts a stop to new development.”

“The West is drying up and going up in flames. Between extreme drought, the shrinking of the Colorado River, and now urban wildfires in the winter, how much more death, destruction and devastation do we have to see before this administration takes action?” said Natasha Léger, executive director of Citizens for a Healthy Community. “It’s time for climate leadership and to stop leasing our public lands for oil and gas development. We need heroes to break through the political and economic inertia that has us on a collision course to inhabitability.”

“As the Interior Department announces that it plans on continuing oil and gas leasing on federal land, Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic condemns any further extraction, especially within the Arctic,” said Siqiniq Maupin, executive director of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic. “Our lands are warming at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world, causing detrimental impact to the fragile ecosystems that call it home and directly impacting the rest of the world, as well. With conservative climate models predicting that we have less than 30 years to radically change our relationship with oil and gas, the future rests in the United States’ hands. We can no longer commodify our land and water, especially at the rate climate change is occurring. We are nature fighting back.”

“It is unconscionable that the BLM will go forward with these oil and gas lease sales as we continue to see the devastating effects of climate change, particularly in the Southwestern United States,” said Deborah McNamara, campaigns director at 350 Colorado. “According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s August 2021 assessment, there is ‘high confidence’ that human-influenced rising temperatures are a direct cause of the extension of the wildfire season, increased drought, and decreased precipitation in the southwest United States. In order to curb emissions and do what scientists are telling us we must do in order to avert the absolute worst climate impacts, we need a rapid phase out of fossil fuel production by 2030. Continuing business as usual at the BLM with ongoing oil and gas lease sales will not get us where we need to be in order to solve the climate crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

“How much more can Gulf Coast states endure? Most of us weren’t born with a silver spoon to get lawyers all the time to fight these civil laws aka ‘environmental acts,’ or have the luxury of property rights because it was all taken from us so long ago,” said Love Sanchez of Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend. “Now here we are, working class people, simple people, 95% of the time BIPOC people, that just want to protect our land and water. Then, I’m not surprised, we now have the Interior, who decides they want to continue their projects in the Gulf Coast. It’s a very disappointing thing to hear. Fortunately, we will continue to be persistent in protecting these waters.”

“The Biden administration’s claim that it must hold these lease sales is pure fiction and a reckless failure of climate leadership,” said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s as if they’re ignoring the horror of firestorms, floods and megadroughts, and accepting climate catastrophes as business as usual. These so-called reforms are 20 years too late and will only continue to fuel the climate emergency. These lease sales should be shelved and the climate-destroying federal fossil fuel programs brought to an end.”

“We have heard a lot of rhetoric from President Biden and his administration about the need to take action on climate,” said Kyle Tisdel, climate and energy program director with the Western Environmental Law Center. “But not only is the administration not doing everything it could — it is not really doing anything. Climate action was a pillar of President Biden’s campaign, and his promises on this existential issue were a major reason the public elected him. Achieving results on climate is not a matter of domestic politics. It’s life and death.”

“Candidate Biden promised to end new oil and gas leasing on public lands, but President Biden is prioritizing oil executive profits over future generations,” said Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager at Friends of the Earth. “Biden’s Interior Department has even issued permits to drill at a rate faster than the Trump administration. Now, the Bureau of Land Management is preparing to hold its first public lands lease sale, despite having no legal obligation to do so. If Biden wants to be a climate leader, he must stop auctioning off our public lands to Big Oil.”

“This is pure climate denial,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians. “While the Biden administration talks a good talk on climate action, the reality is, they’re in bed with the oil and gas industry. Rest assured, with the climate crisis raging, we can and will fight back. We can’t afford not to.”

“The Biden administration fiddles while Rome burns,” said Shelley Silbert, executive director at Great Old Broads for Wilderness. “The most destructive fire in Colorado history consumed over a thousand homes last December. When your house is on fire, you act immediately. Climate disasters hit us harder each day and we’re out of time. The Biden administration must address the climate crisis now, and a vital step is stopping oil and gas leasing on public lands immediately. There is no other option.”

“Right now, fossil fuel extraction on public lands and waters make up a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions at a time scientists are saying we must move urgently to cut emissions by at least half. Not only does it devastate our planet, it’s a handout to Big Oil at the expense of average Americans, who will bear the brunt of its societal, health, and financial ramifications,” said Dan Ritzman, Lands Water Wildlife director at the Sierra Club. “We urge the Biden administration to take advantage of this historic opportunity to make good on campaign promises, fulfill a global commitment to acting on climate, and serve American communities by phasing out oil and gas production on public lands and oceans.”

“Let’s set aside all the niceties and speak plainly on this: even people in positions of power and authority are fully aware that nothing goes unscathed in the aftermath of creating and maintaining fossil fuel infrastructures,” said Sha Merirei Ongelungel, executive director of Pasifika Uprising. “So whether you’re trying to reopen the Palau National Marine Sanctuary for commercial fishing and potential exploratory drilling or in the United States pushing to resume oil and gas leasing on public lands, the only safe inference is that our leaders are dishonest and hungry for more money and more power. And that is wholly unconscionable. What’s legal isn’t always ethical and too many leaders, the world-over, are demonstrating this with their utter disregard for their communities and the climate. Frankly, I’m embarrassed for these so-called leaders. For all their power and authority, they will never have the true power and solidarity needed to lead us into a safer future like grassroots movements.”

“Ramping up exports of liquified natural gas to Europe in response to the invasion of Ukraine is a losing proposition that will take too long to implement to address current energy demands,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. “Instead of taking decades to build the necessary export terminals so we can keep burning fossil fuels and turning the Earth into a fiery hellscape, we should be investing in solar production in urban settings where the energy is being used, on rooftops and parking lot awnings, so Europe and the United States can both transition to clean power sources and get that production online a whole lot faster.”

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could not be more clear. It is time to rapidly transition off of fossil fuels. Increasing leasing for fossil fuels on public lands is grossly misaligned with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and ensuring that young people inherit a habitable planet,” said Zanagee Artis, executive director of Zero Hour

###

Categories: A2. Green Unionism

Build Back Fossil Free - Mon, 03/21/2022 - 10:36

Congressional Progressive Caucus Calls on Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency and Ban Fossil Fuel Leasing on Federal Lands and Waters

Congressional Progressives follow the lead of climate, frontline, and progressive groups who have been making the same demands

Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Progressive Caucus today called on President Biden to declare a climate emergency, jumpstart just renewable energy production, ban federal fossil fuel leasing, end fossil fuel subsidies, and take executive actions aimed at advancing environmental justice and making clean air and water accessible for all.

Since Biden’s inauguration, declaring a climate emergency, igniting a just renewable energy revolution, and ending fossil fuel expansion have been the top demands from climate, Indigenous, social justice, and progressive groups, including the Build Back Fossil Free Coalition. The growing coalition of more than a thousand groups is dedicated to pushing Biden to use his executive authority to act on climate and fossil fuels.

In October 2021, the Build Back Fossil Free coalition organized a weeklong mobilization at the White House where thousands of Indigenous, frontline, and allied activists put their bodies on the line to demand Biden declare a climate emergency and stop permitting fossil fuel projects.

Earlier this year, the coalition sent a letter, signed by more than 1,100 organizations, to Biden urging him to quickly deliver on his campaign promises by declaring a climate emergency, stopping the federal approval of new fossil fuel projects, and initiating a just transition to a distributed, renewable energy future.

Ahead of the State of the Union, organizers gathered at the White House with an art piece depicting a giant pen and executive order, urging Biden to act on climate “with the stroke of a pen. And last week, groups in the coalition sent another letter to Biden urging him to use the Defense Production Act to jumpstart the deployment of clean energy solutions, like heat pumps, across the country as a response to the crisis in Ukraine.

President Biden has the authority today to use the Defense Production Act to create well-paying, union jobs building just, renewable energy technologies; begin to phase out the quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution created by fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters; and declare a climate emergency to reinstate the ban on crude oil exports, which would have health and climate gains equivalent to shutting down 42 coal plants.

Below are statements from leading climate, social justice, and environmental organizations:

Quotes:

Grassroots/Frontline Groups

“Biden must take bold action by declaring a climate emergency and investing in real clean energy and actually sever the dependence of fossil fuel economy. Indigenous, frontline, youth and grassroot led movements have been demanding that the federal fossil fuel leasing program be reformed to ensure that communities have equity access to clean energy grids and participation in planning processes. It’s important for this administration to adopt the principles Environmental justice movements have thoroughly implemented as their center frontline communities and equity to further meaningful climate solutions,” Julia Bernal, Executive Director for Pueblo Action Alliance

“Those living in the Arctic are on the cutting edge of the climate crisis. The CPC agrees with us, thousands of organizations agree with us, now is the time to declare a climate emergency and stop the expansion of fossil fuels. The Biden Administration needs to follow this grassroots-led movement and the science backing us and stop approving fossil fuel projects like the Willow Master development plan,” Siqiniq Maupin, Executive Director of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic

“Biden is failing to support Tribal sovereignty each day he allows the Dakota Access pipeline to flow. This CPC announcement is another reminder for Biden to stand with the people, declare a climate emergency, uphold Indigenous rights and protect the water.” Waniya Locke, Standing Rock Grassroots

“The climate crisis is rooted in lack of oversight of extraction that is happening in frontline communities. It is time for Biden to go beyond performative politics and show communities of color that we will be represented. He needs to declare a climate emergency and stop fossil fuel destruction, including extraction on federal fossil fuel leases that pollute in communities like ours.” Cesar Aguirre, Senior community organizer, Central California Environmental Justice Network

National Organizations:

“President Biden has demonstrated his lack of commitment to the very communities who elected him to office. He has stalled on climate action, abandoning Black, Indigenous, communities of the global majority, and other frontline communities who don’t have time to negotiate with neoliberals, capitalists, and white supremacists because their very existences are at stake. This is why we stand alongside the CPC to demand Biden use his executive powers to declare a Climate Emergency and ban drilling on federal lands and waters. Our collective futures depend on bold climate action now.” Ashley McCray, Green New Deal Network Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network

“There’s no question that we’re in a climate emergency. The caucus is absolutely right that President Biden should declare it so we can build the energy security that only renewable energy can bring,” said Jean Su, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s energy justice program. “Biden can act quickly, without Congress and without Joe Manchin, to stop oil and gas drilling on public lands and unlock his emergency powers to end the era of deadly fossil fuels. He must answer the caucus’s call and turbo-charge the renewable energy transition with the Defense Production Act.” Jean Su, director, Energy Justice Program, Center for Biological Diversity.

“As communities across this country are facing the realities of a rigged economy, a public health crisis, racial injustice, and climate change, Congress and the Biden Administration must use every tool at their disposal to deliver comprehensive, transformative, and immediate change. The announcement of the CPC Executive Action slate is a bold and exciting phase of progressive power that demonstrates Progressives understand there is no time to waste. Declaring a national climate emergency and working to end our reliance on fossil fuels are two critical steps in addressing the climate crisis our communities are facing and Indivisible is thrilled to see these priorities included in a slate that works to address climate change, invest in good paying union jobs, and prioritize a just and equitable society.” Ann Clancy, Associate Director of Climate Policy, Indivisible

For more information or to be connected with experts and spokespeople reach out to Cassidy DiPaola, cassidy@fossilfree.media.

###

Categories: A2. Green Unionism

Build Back Fossil Free - Thu, 02/24/2022 - 03:37

Dear President Biden,

As 1,140 organizations collectively representing millions of members and supporters, including Indigenous, Black, Brown, and frontline communities, we urge you to use your executive authority to speed the end of the fossil fuel era, protect our communities from the climate emergency, and address the severe harms caused by fossil fuels.

You further promised “environmental justice will be at the center of all we do addressing the disproportionate health and environmental and economic impacts on communities of color — so-called ‘fenceline communities’.” And you elevated the respect of Indigenous sovereignty and ordered federal agencies to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships with Tribes.

These statements must be backed up by bolder action. You have the authority under existing law to wind down fossil fuel production and catalyze a just, renewable energy revolution to deliver healthier communities, a livable future, and millions of good-paying jobs. It’s critical that you use that authority as quickly and broadly as possible.

Together, we call on you to take these steps:

• Follow through on your promise to ban all new oil and gas leasing, drilling, and fracking on federal lands and waters.
• Direct federal agencies to stop approving fossil fuel projects, including pipelines, import and export terminals, storage facilities, refineries, and petrochemical plants. Direct the Department of Energy to halt gas exports to the full extent authorized by law.
• Declare a climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act, unlocking special powers to reinstate the crude oil export ban, redirect disaster relief funds toward distributed renewable energy construction in frontline communities, and marshal companies to fast-track renewable transportation and clean power generation, creating millions of high-quality union jobs.

The U.S. must contribute its fair share to the global effort to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with what science, justice, and equity demand. Your administration’s legislative and regulatory climate proposals have not addressed limiting the production and burning of fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. As fossil fuel lobbyists and politicians continue to block real climate action in Congress, bold executive action is desperately needed.

President Biden, you are the chief executive with immense powers to address our communities’ concerns.

Categories: A2. Green Unionism

Manchester Green New Deal Podcast - Mon, 12/14/2020 - 03:00

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Categories: A2. Green Unionism

Manchester Green New Deal Podcast - Mon, 12/07/2020 - 03:00

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Categories: A2. Green Unionism