As Congress gears up to craft much-needed legislation to protect the earth from global warming, many American workers are wondering what it will mean for their jobs. They may be wondering even more if they hear about the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s proposal for carbon regulation legislation, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, released March 31. It is 648 pages long. But Section 424 on “Worker Transition” has only three words: “to be supplied.” (more…)

[Cross-posted with HuffingtonPost.com]

Under escalating pressure from activists, Nike, the utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and others have publicly resigned from the US Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to climate protection policies. It’s time for labor unions to follow suit by cutting all ties with groups opposing climate legislation like the Chamber-funded Energy Citizen’s Alliance. (more…)

Some unions dissented early from AFL-CIO climate policy.  In 1990 the Steelworkers, America’s largest and most diversified manufacturing union with a strong history of environmentalism created an executive board committee on environmental issues and issued a policy statement saying that global warming “may be the single greatest problem we face. Some have compared its possible consequences to the aftermath of nuclear war.” The union cooperated with the Sierra Club and some other environmental organizations to oppose the WTO and demand that trade agreements include enforceable labor and environmental standards - an alliance made famous by the 1999 Battle of Seattle. (more…)

Obama’s climate czar Carol Browner said last week there will be no U.S. climate protection legislation before the Copenhagen conference and that she doesn’t know if a global agreement on binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions can be made in Copenhagen.  She added that she had hope for progress because the world’s top leaders recognize global warming is a problem.  (more…)