Photo credit Hannah Benet, Survival Media Agency
The Lead the Charge coalition, a diverse network of local, national, and global advocacy partners working for an equitable, sustainable, and fossil-free auto supply chain, is releasing its 2024 Leaderboard results this month. Their scorecard evaluates over 20 automakers’ efforts to account for, remedy, and prevent environmental and human rights harms, including workers and indigenous rights issues in their supply chains. In a panel organized by Mighty Earth, Public Citizen and Sunrise Project and moderated by Veronica Wilson of LNS last fall, UAW Region 6 locals noted their union fights for standards across the supply chain because all workers deserve respect and dignity on the job everywhere. Human rights advocates underscored that the US Senate conducted an investigation into forced Uyghur labor used by suppliers throughout the auto industry. In an LA Auto Show action following the panel, activists called out companies with messages that “EVs are the future” and “Drop coal and cut ties to forced labor.” The Lead the Charge coalition is exemplary of climate and labor rights solidarity vital to the fight for a just transition to a clean energy future that doesn’t leave workers behind.
Review the 2024 auto supply scorecards: https://leadthecharge.org/scorecards-summary/