Interlocking crises: Climate and labor united?
Ours is a shared struggle for a just transition toward a new economy
- CJA Letter to AFL-CIO President Trumka and Labor Movement
Frontline fossil fuel impacted organizations and their allies in the climate and environmental justice movements are calling on labor to start taking the climate crisis more seriously. As a group dedicated to both economic and ecological justice, CSS is a proud member of the Climate Justice Alliance and this this letter signed by 60+ grassroots groups, addressed to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and the labor movement: http://bit.ly/14z5180
"At the roots of our interlocking crises of economy and ecology is the same failing model of unlimited growth, extraction and pollution that exploits working people and the Earth," says CSS Co-director Patrick Reinsborough. "New stories are bubbling up; new alliances, new opportunities to address the root causes of our current problems. Organizers are recognizing it's time to connect the dots and link our struggles."
We thank you for your tireless efforts in protecting our rights as working people. We understand that unions are under attack like never before, and we offer our solidarity. We also believe we presently face a historic opportunity to build a movement together – to protect the planet, and in the process, re-shape our economy to ensure it no longer benefits the few at the expense of the many. READ MORE
As Naomi Klein said recently at the founding UNIFOR convention in Toronto, "We can’t just reject the dominant story about how the world works. We need our own story about what it could be." The entire speach is available on Common Dreams.
(Photo: UNIFOR website)
The climate crisis is going to be the greatest driver of structural change in human history. But the question is who is going to decide what changes we should make? Right now Wall Street is in the drivers seat and mega-banks like Goldman Sachs are figuring out how to profiteer while the planet burns, our economy continues to fail the fast majority of working people and the life support systems of our planet continue to be eroded… its time to unite the forces.