Climate Strikes
Ride Your Bike for Climate, Jobs and Justice in NYC–April 24
How do we spread the word about what it will take to have an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the crises of climate, jobs, healthcare, racism and democracy that it has so aggravated? Members of New York’s large DC37 union have an innovative way: The...
Does Shale Gas Extraction Grow Jobs?
Over the past decade, many communities, especially impoverished rural communities in Appalachia, have been pitched the idea that extracting natural gas would be the solution to their economic problems. Vast amounts of gas were indeed extracted. But a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute shows that the benefits did not flow to local communities
Making “Build Back Better” Better: Aligning Climate, Jobs, and Justice
The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for conversation in the LNS community and the broader labor and climate movements. We hope it will be a living document that continues to evolve as the knowledge and insight of additional dialogue partners contribute to its development.
The Blue New Deal: Making a Living on a Living Ocean
During CNN’s Democratic presidential town hall on the climate crisis in September, a one-time oysterman from Connecticut told candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren:
My farm was destroyed by two hurricanes. Now warming waters and acidification is killing seed, coast to coast and reducing yields. Those of us that work on the water need climate solutions, and we need them now. The trouble is, the Green New Deal only mentions our oceans one time. This is despite the fact that our seas soak up more than 25% of the world’s carbon. So what’s your plan for a Blue New Deal for those of us working on the ocean? How do we make sure we can make a living on a living planet?
How and Why We Formed LNS
We formed the Labor Network for Sustainability as a vehicle through which we could press for bold climate action in ways that address labor concerns without sacrificing what science is telling us is necessary, and what’s needed to address income inequality and worker power. LNS was founded on the belief that the crises of income inequality and climate change can and must be addressed at the same time, and in so doing we will advance the goals of both movements and offer the best hope for averting climate catastrophe.
LNS Prez Says Biden Facing “Difficult Balancing Act”
An NPR “All Things Considered” news story produced by Don Gonyea, “Biden Infrastructure Plan Aims To Please Both Labor And Environmentalists,” recently featured LNS President Joe Uehlein.
Why the PRO Act Matters
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act, perhaps the most significant labor law reform legislation since the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, often known as “Labor’s Magna Carta,” establishing the right of workers...
The Future of People Power in the Coronavirus Depression
What can we learn from the role of people power in the Great Depression and in the first year of the Coronavirus Depression? Based on the seven preceding commentaries on the New Deal and the popular movements of 2020, this commentary maintains that popular direct action can play a significant role in shaping the Biden era. It examines the emerging political context and suggests guidelines for navigating the complex landscape that lies ahead.
A few months ago, the national Green New Deal Network, along with nearly 100 Congressional endorsers and a range of climate and national union endorsers,
Jeremy Brecher’s Strike! 50th Anniversary Symposium, Keynote by Sara Nelson
Rutgers LEARN, the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO), and the Labor Network for Sustainability present: Strike! A 50th Anniversary Symposium