LNS Spotlight:

Rich Kowalczyk

Richard (Rich) Kowalczyk was voted to be the first president of AFSCME Local 3599 when it was started in 2018 and continues to serve in that capacity.  Rich had also been active as an executive board member at the chapter level for many years prior to Local 3599 being started.  

From mountain tops to city limits, Local 3599 represents over 300 New York City Department of Environmental Protection technical and professional employees who work throughout the upstate communities of the NYC watershed. We are responsible for the critical mission of ensuring the delivery of the world’s most precious resource to the residents and visitors of New York City.

Rich takes pride in ensuring that the brothers and sisters of Local 3599 are represented in any way needed, from the bargaining table to disciplinary hearings, and everything in between.  

Editor Jeremy Brecher,
Senior Strategic Advisor, LNS Co-Founder

The second Trump coup is underway. It is taking the form of “executive usurpation” – turning a constitutionally-elected official into a dictator. This MAGA coup is not just an attack on particular groups, or even on the government, but on society, on that which makes it possible for us to live together in freedom and peace – including a livable climate. 

The brunt of this assault is currently being borne by government employees. The attack on our civil servants is an attack on the environment and the climate. It is state and federal workers who stand between us and environmental and climate catastrophe. As Marie Owens Powell, who was an underground storage tank inspector at EPA and is now president of AFGE Council 238 representing EPA employees, asked:

Who are you going to call when it’s time to clean up wildfires and flooding? Who are you going to call when there are hazardous accidents? Train derailments or fish kills? Who are you going to call for sewage backups and follow up order sampling? Who's going to maintain air monitoring? Who are you going to call with pesticide safety questions and who's going to oversee the redevelopment of brownfields in your community?

The public knows that the answer to those questions is “EPA employees.” A recent poll of 2024 election voters found that 76 percent of Trump voters and 86 percent of all voters oppose attempts to weaken the EPA. Eighty-one percent of Trump voters and 88 percent of all voters want Congress to increase EPA funding or keep funding steady.

The public has also turned against Trump’s attacks on federal workers. 58 percent of respondents in a brand-new Washington Post/Ipsos poll opposed laying off large numbers of federal workers. Just 34 percent approved of Elon Musk’s role in the federal government.

It is the responsibility of climate protection advocates to protect the workers who protect our climate. That is also an opportunity to help build the broad alliance we need to halt and ultimately overcome the MAGA juggernaut. We need to characterize the harm that is being done – dying infants, poisoned lakes, rivers, and drinking water, permitting new sources of pollution and climate destruction. We need to organize those who are being harmed to fight back. And we need to back each others’ lawsuits, lobbying, and action in our workplaces and in the streets.

The MAGA coup is not just an attack on government workers but on all workers. As EPA worker and union leader Justin Chen put it:

In downtown Dallas we're having a rally with the AFL-CIO and other allies about the spending cuts and the attacks on the civil service and how they affect all workers. Right now, the National Labor Relation Board does not have a quorum. That means within private industry there is going to be no enforcement mechanism for contracts for workers and their union. So this is a major issue for everybody, the entire working class, anybody that relies upon a paycheck to live their lives. So look out! if you're in a union, reach out to your union leadership, ask them how they're getting involved, how they are supporting civil workers. Make sure there is solidarity between us, regardless of whether we’re public employees or private employees.

AFGE fights for climate workers
Call to Action: Protect Workers Who Protect Our Climate

Environmental Protector AFSCME 3599 Speaks Out
Workers and Unions Stand for Climate Protection
More coverage of Green New Deal from Below 

LNS Transit Equity Day a Success

On February 14, more than 360 government employees and their supporters joined an on-line meeting organized by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, which represents workers in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Labor Network for Sustainability. The purpose was to bring together environmental and climate advocates with the workers whose job is to protect the environment and the climate – and who are currently threatened with mass firing by the Trump administration. LNS Director of Strategic Campaigns Sydney Ghazarian explained:

We face an existential risk from the climate crisis. But the Trump administration's priority is clear: helping corporations do whatever they want no matter the cost. It’s the Environmental Protection Agency that protects us from corporations poisoning our air, our water, and our environment. Every day thousands of dedicated EPA workers are standing up to big business and cleaning up toxic waste, enforcing the Clean Air Act, and facilitating the transition to clean energy.

Joyce Howell, executive vice president of AFGE Council 238, who was an attorney enforcing hazardous waste law, explained that the purpose of mass firings is largely to get money to extend the tax cut for the rich that is about to sunset: 

The target that's been set by DOGE is one-third to one-half reduction in the number of EPA employees. They are looking for a way to pay for a billionaire tax cut. And to do that, they have to offset it with trillions of dollars of cuts in other parts of the budget. 

Justin Chen, president of a AFGE Local 1003 representing EPA workers in Texas, is an EPA inspector and enforcement officer working to enforce the Clean Air Act. He portrayed the attack on government workers as an attack on American democracy and the American people:

The EPA, indeed the entirety of the federal Civil Service, basically are public servants, and as servants, basically we serve you. We serve the citizens of this country and it's under attack by billionaires. It's very obvious what is going on over here. They basically want to treat the rest of us just as their own playthings, as their servants, returning us back to a way worse time where you had no voice in your democracy. 

These attacks on public service mean they just want to privatize everything. They want to make it so that every flow of any amount of money or resources has to go through them, instead of being democratically accountable through your government. 

We have a tyrant who is stating, hey, I can do whatever I want to whomever I choose, and I can also refuse service to the citizens of this country. And that's not the democracy that we built. This is not the democracy that thousands of people have given up their lives for so that we can have the freedoms that we enjoy and the lives that we enjoy and expect for our children.

Ultimately the people that are going to save us are ourselves. We have to rely upon each other, we have to get the word out, and we have to plan and take action. It's going to be a tough road, but something stronger and more beautiful may come out of this at the end as long as we hold together.

Government workers are on the move to fight the MAGA assault on public services and public workers. They need and deserve the support of the entire labor movement and of the public they serve.

On February 19, federal workers and supporters rallied to “Save Our Services” at over 30 “Save our Services” rallies around the country Wednesday, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, Boston, Boise, Chattanooga and Chicago. The rallies were organized by a new group, the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), composed of members of many different unions of federal workers who organized the rallies primarily through phone calls. The rallies were held at federal offices like the Department of Health and Human Services, at Tesla dealerships and public space. Many of the rallies were endorsed by local or national chapters of federal worker unions. Chris Dols, president of IFTPE Local 98 at the Army Corps of Engineers, told a New York rally:

The only way we have out of this is if the federal workforce on the front lines puts out a call to the broader labor movement and enters the streets and makes this a political crisis that they cannot manage. 

The FUN was working in collaboration with another new labor network, Labor for Higher Education. Its rally in Philadelphia had 300 participants. At the University of Washington in Seattle, 500 demonstrators backed by Auto Workers Local 4121, the University of Washington Academic Workers, demanded an end to federal cuts and funding freezes for research.

AFGE has been holding rallies with workers marching around their agency buildings in locations around the country. They invite supporters to join them. The union says it had gained more than 20,000 members since January 1. That compares to 7,400 new members in all of 2024. 

NBC News reports that:

At events from Georgia and Wisconsin to Oklahoma and Oregon, House Republicans faced sometimes-hostile crowds furious about the sweeping budget cuts and mass firings of federal workers that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are carrying out. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/town-halls-republicans-feel-heat-trump-musks-firing-cutting-spree-rcna193164  

And on March 4^th educators, students, parents and community allies will hold a “Protect Our Kids” day of action against assaults on public education and on opportunity for America’s youth, led by the American Federation of Teachers.

For more information and to connect:

American Federation of Government Employees  

American Federation of Government Employees EPA council

Federal Unionists Network (FUN)

A group of federal workers have created a new website called “We the Builders” to provide a secure outlet to share anonymous stories and technical expertise about the dismantling of government agencies.

For on-going coverage of government worker organizing and action follow Labor Notes.

For a perspective on strategy, see “How Federal Workers Can Defeat Musk’s Coup” by Eric Blanc.

By Richard Kowalczyk, AFSCME Local 3599 

It’s not just federal employees who protect our environment and our climate. State and local government employees are also part of that protection force – and are similarly under attack. -- editor

As a public servant, I am a member of AFSCME Local 3599, the Upstate Environmental Protection Technical and Professional Employees, part of District Council 37 of New York City. Our local’s highly technical and professional members ensure approximately ten million people receive high quality drinking water.

Public service unions are currently under attack from anti-union organizations under Project 2025 initiatives. But without public service, how do we properly run and maintain a water supply, especially with the ever-increased challenges of climate change? 

The severe weather that stems from climate change has impacted the work our members do. Our members respond to emergencies, taking water samples under adverse conditions, testing to ensure the water is safe and meets all water quality requirements. 

Carbon emissions have increased climate change on a global scale. This has disrupted weather patterns, which has led to extreme weather events, which has negatively affected our drinking water. Too much precipitation coming all at once can stir up suspended particulates and increase nutrients which can lead to biological impacts such as phytoplankton growth, leading to possible cyanobacteria and harmful algae blooms. Droughts lead to less water to draw from. Dry conditions lead to the risk of forest fires that negatively impact the environment, including the water supply.

Our environment is at risk. That risk, if unchecked, will continue to deteriorate and will negatively impact future generations, our children and grandchildren. The way we use fossil fuels is assaulting our planet. 

DC37’s motto is “We Run New York” and our workers are the core of providing vital services to millions of people living and visiting NYC. We will continue to step forward and provide vital services to the public, regardless of the continued threats made against us from organizations that do not have the best interests of our neighbors at heart.

Photo Credit: becker1199

Not only are government unions protectors of the environment, they have also been strong advocates for climate-friendly policies. Here are some examples:

• American Federation of Government Employees

  The AFGE “Worker Bill of Rights” demands “The right to work on control of greenhouse gases, to discuss solutions to climate change, and to conduct climate change research.”
  
  

• American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 

  At their 2024 Convention, AFSCME passed resolution 16, pledging to support legislation, policies, regulations and executive orders that call for public investments aimed at creating and supporting high-quality, green, union jobs, strengthening the resiliency of communities in preparing for and responding to climate change-fueled extreme weather events and financially supporting state and local governments impacted by the changing climate. Read more on AFSCME’s platform on Environmental Stewardship.
  
  

• American Federation of Teachers 

  The AFT passed a resolution demanding that the president declare a national climate emergency and work to developing a regenerative energy system, while pledging to bring union members together to formulate climate actions plans specific to their constituents. 
  
  

• American Postal Workers Union 

  The APWU “encourages locals and state organizations to participate in coalitions in their areas that fight for environmental justice and the mitigation of the effects of climate change.” At its national conference it held a special meeting on Climate Change.
  
  

• Communications Workers of America 

  “CWA commits to support legislative action to combat Climate Change that creates good union jobs in the green economy, and promotes domestic production of renewable energy technologies with union workers.” 
  
  

• International Association of Firefighters

  The IAF is raising deep concern that lives and property are being increasingly lost to the devastating impacts of nature as the world fails to recognise the very practical implications of climate change. 
  
  

• National Nurses United 

  The NNU released a five point plan titled “Global Nurses’ Proposal to Address the Health Impacts of Climate Change” and the California nurses have put together a toolkit. 
  
  

• Office and Professional Workers International Union

  OPEIU and its local unions call upon the federal government to “work in tandem with workers and industry to enact legislation that moves our nation toward a carbon-neutral, zero emissions economy as soon as possible” and “invest heavily in “green” public infrastructure projects to provide good-paying jobs to those who need them. 
  
  

• Service Employees International Union

  “SEIU supports the Green New Deal because it is a framework for urgent action. We also support efforts by locals to reduce emissions in their geographies to address the worst impacts of climate change.”
  
  Watch SEIU President April Verrett condemn fossil fuel giant Energy Transfer's outrageous and abusive lawsuit attacking Greenpeace, and attempting to silence the climate justice movement -- preventing workers and climate activists from speaking out for climate protections.

Photo Credit: Government workers protest the government shutdown during a demonstration in the Federal Building Plaza on Jan. 10, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois.

By Jeremy Brecher, co-founder of the Labor Network for Sustainability and author of the labor history Strike!

In 2019, government workers and their supporters forced an end to President Trump’s shutdown of the government and used the threat of a general strike to keep the government open. 

When President Trump refused to sign any appropriations bill that did not fund his proposed Mexican border wall, nine federal agencies were forced to shut down, furloughing 400,000 government workers without pay, forcing 400,000 others deemed “essential” to work without pay, and putting over 500,000 federal contract workers out of work. It was the largest lockout in U.S. history. The shutdown continued for 35 days. 

Trump and the Republican Congress were forced to reopen the government when TSA screeners stopped showing up for work and air traffic controllers began calling in sick, closing major airports, and opponents of the shutdown mobilized to occupy airports and congressional offices. As the flight delays spread, President Trump unexpectedly reversed himself and agreed to a Congressional resolution to fund the government for three weeks—without his border wall. 

When Trump threatened another shutdown, president of the flight attendants union Sara Nelson announced that her union would demonstrate at major airports around the country on February 16. She hoped that all airline workers and the public would take part. Airline flight attendants announced a new website called “generalstrike2019.org.” Its headline read, “Imagine the Power of Working People Standing Together to Demand That Our Government Work for Us.” It called on all Americans to “join us in protest at our nation’s airports to show what workers united can achieve.” At the last minute, Trump backed down and allowed the government to remain open.

By LNS Transit Organizer Bakari Height

Our annual Transit Equity Day featured people from around the country taking action for better, more reliable, and more equitable transit. Our livestream for the event also showcased many little-known local transit justice initiatives. For example, I interviewed organizers from both North and South Carolina in the Carolina Transit Roundtable about their transit progress and problems.  They emphasized that both states are near the bottom of the list when it comes to collective bargaining. This means that transit workers rarely get a chance to voice their views on the issues plaguing our transit systems. We will continue to follow up with these groups when we host our LNS Convergence in Charlotte in October. To watch the replay of Transit Equity Day live, please click here.  We also featured our newsletter editor Jeremy Brecher talking about the chapter on transit in his new book, The Green New Deal from Below!

A diversified transportation system will not only reduce emissions faster, provide more mobility for more people, and lessen the burden of mineral extraction for batteries–but also stimulate millions of new, dignified jobs across the supply chain.

That’s the conclusion of a new report, Jobs for More Mobility and Less Mining, from the Climate and Community Institute (CCI). The report tells how a diversified transportation system that invests heavily in public transportation and requires fewer battery minerals would be a net benefit to the economy by creating millions of jobs. By investing $280 billion annually in diversified transportation and battery reuse and recycling, the US economy would gain a net total of 2,439,000 jobs by 2035.

For full report and the executive summary. 

January 2025 was the warmest January on record, with average global temperatures of 3.13 degrees Fahrenheit (1.74 degrees Celsius) – significantly above the target set by the Paris Climate Agreement. 

The rate of global warming since 2010 has increased by more than 50 percent over the rate of warming in the preceding four decades, surging more than 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit (0.4 degrees Celsius) in just the past two years. Scientists expect the increased rate of warming will intensify deadly heatwaves and worsen both drought and flooding extremes, as well as speed up the spread of deadly diseases associated with warmer temperatures.

Two-thirds of the world’s surface experienced a month or more of record-breaking heat in 2024.

Jeremy Brecher’s new book The Green New Deal from Below is hitting the media. Watch a Rutgers LEARN webinar about the book.

To purchase the book, order from https://www.press.uillinois.edu Use Promo Code F24UIP to receive a 30% discount. 

And listen to Jeremy Brecher’s interview on Texas Public Radio.

A new article by Loyola University professor Urooj Raja says that “essential workers” are “bearing the brunt of climate change.” 

Nearly 40% of the workforce are “essential workers,” defined as those who perform vital job functions. According to Raja, their work often requires them to be in close proximity to extreme weather conditions and hazards caused by or exacerbated by climate change, for which they bear direct health and safety consequences. 

Read the full article here.

Making a Living on a Living Planet is published by the Labor Network for Sustainability. Copyright 2024. Labor Network for Sustainability. All rights reserved.

Content can be re-used if attributed to the Labor Network for Sustainability. The Labor Network for Sustainability is a 501(c)(3). All charitable gifts are tax deductible contributions. EIN: 27-1940927. 

Editor
Jeremy Brecher, Senior Strategic Advisor, LNS Co-Founder

Virginia Rodino, LNS Communications Director

Labor Network for Sustainability
P.O. Box #5780, Takoma Park, MD 20913.