New Report from UAW
Taking Aim at Climate Change and Income Inequality, UAW Lays Out Policy Framework to Decarbonize California
Organize, Industrialize, Decarbonize! A Pro-Worker, Green Industrial Policy for California lays out a strategic vision to create tens of thousands of green, union jobs and lower the cost of clean energy.
Los Angeles, CA — Recognizing that climate change and income inequality are the twin challenges of our time, the UAW has released a revolutionary framework that would allow the state to tackle both simultaneously. The new report, Organize, Industrialize, Decarbonize! A Pro-Worker, Green Industrial Policy for California, lays out a strategic vision for meeting Califonria’s ambitious climate goals while creating tens of thousands of family-sustaining supply chain jobs.
“This is about building up the supply chain in California, creating good union jobs for working people, while not separating that from or denying that climate change is terribly real and that we need to deploy clean energy affordably, now,” said Mike Miller, Director and elected leader of UAW Region 6. He added: “for too long we’ve assumed that climate policy is enough. Climate policy is important. But we also need to take rampant inequality head on in California and show how it's done. That’s what green industrial policy that centers the working class is all about.”
California is a globally recognized climate leader, but in recent months the state’s seminal climate policies have suffered attacks ranging from federal intervention to accusations of unaffordability to revolts from legislators representing oil-heavy districts.
At a time when many policymakers are focused on Abundance – the popular economics text by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson – the UAW Green Industrial Policy report calls for a comprehensive industrial strategy. The authors don’t duck the recent battles in the legislature over advanced manufacturing or CEQA exemptions. They call for a policy program that focuses on inequality, production, and state interventions – one that does not rely on a purely deregulatory agenda.
The report calls for “a holistic green industrial policy that prioritizes public benefits, equity, sustainability, speed, and scale in development.” It also highlights the significance of a bill currently making its way through the legislature, SB 787 (McNerney).
The report identifies SB 787 as a crucial first step in developing a comprehensive green industrial policy in California. The bill:
Requires state agencies to align and coordinate funding and program administration around in-state supply chain development, accelerating decarbonization, and affordability.
Establishes a permanent Senior Counsellor on Equitable Supply Chains to convene the public, industry, and external stakeholders who can advise state agencies on policy and centralize the dissemination of industry data and market research.
About the report, Henry Salazar, member of UAW Local 230 said: “I’m excited to be part of a union that understands that we need to build the future of this state through good manufacturing jobs while also taking care of our planet. I hope the Governor passes SB 787 and that the legislature can get behind our vision for a green industrial policy that really speaks to the needs of the working class.”
United Auto Workers Region 6 represents more than 120,000 active and retired union members across nine western states, including 100,000 in California.