E-Binder Published May 5, 2020 · 2 minute read
Responding to the Crisis: Labor, Clean Energy and the American Worker During the COVID-19 Recovery
Jared DeWese & Farah Benahmed
By the end of April 2020, more than 30 million Americans filed jobless claims. To avoid more layoffs, America’s labor unions are driving some of the most urgent COVID-19 response efforts -- ensuring essential employees are protected on the job, workers have access to the medical care and sick time they need, and workplaces are reopened safely. Unions can also play a major role in getting the workforce trained and ready to drive America’s economic recovery, including the expansion of clean infrastructure and manufacturing.
On April 30th, Monica Medina from Our Daily Planet held a frank conversation with Legislative Director of BlueGreen Alliance Jessica Eckdish; Legislative Director of the Service Employees International Union John Gray; and Roland Zullo, labor expert and Director of the Center for Labor and Community Studies at the University of Michigan Dearborn about the impact of the global pandemic on the American clean energy workforce, how unions are taking action during this crisis, and what this means for climate efforts.
Register here for our next panel, where we will discuss how to ensure environmental justice in recovery packages in the COVID-19 era and beyond.
Jessica Eckdish, Legislative Director for BlueGreen Alliance
Jessica Eckdish on how we can create good-paying, union jobs and a clean environment.
