WHAT WE DO

A TRULY GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
 
A just transition for workers and communities around the globe addresses all aspects of production, beginning with how resources are extracted and ending with reusing waste materials.
 
A just transition unites all workers and communities in building regional economies modeled on natural systems. It means living wages for all workers, clean production, and zero waste. It accounts for the ecological and social costs along the entire production cycle, including energy consumption, water use, transportation, exploitation, displacement, and the legacy of contamination. Join us in creating the transition to healthy, sustainable workplaces and communities!

CHANGING CHEMICAL POLICY

PAST LOCAL PROJECTS  

Rillito, Arizona: We are nurturing an alliance between PACE Local 8-296, representing 107 workers at Arizona Portland Cement (APC), the local community, and Tucsonians for a Clean Environment (TCE), a SNEEJ affiliate. Until January 2002, the workers were without a contract for four years and the fenceline community continues to suffer from the state's worst air pollution.

The new union contract and heightened attention to community issues are a direct result of Just Transition activities since the first workshop in September 2000 (other activities included a community clean-up and joint picketing outside the plant). In addition, a recent fine of $82,442 against APC for nickel and cobalt in air releases helps validate joint union-community Title 6 complaints with EPA.

PACE waged a strategic campaign and provided staff from its Special Projects Department, community legal assistance, and resources for a community organizer. This is the first time that the Just Transition Alliance has engaged with workers from the former United Paperworkers International Union, which merged with the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers in 1999 to form PACE.

San Antonio, Texas: In July 2001, the Kelly Air Force Base closed and 16,000 workers lost their jobs. In addition, the surrounding community (primarily Latino and working-class) feels the effects of military toxic dumping and other hazards and fears that the U.S. Department of Defense is shirking responsibility for site clean-up.

As part of the transition from one type of economy to another, local Just Transition organizers are making sure that affected parties are part of any deal-making between local, state and federal government, developers, training and education entities, etc.

The creation of the Community Development Authority rivals the Greater Kelly Development Authority in its policy- and decision-making. This model is teaching us how to construct alternative economic development strategies and how to facilitate worker dislocations and community clean-up through community-labor alliances.

This is our first U.S. attempt to work locally with unions not currently in our Alliance, such as the Machinists. The lead group in the project is the Southwest Workers Union, a SNEEJ affiliate.

Louisiana: PACE members in south Louisiana have a long history of participation in Labor-Neighbor agreements. Likewise, there are strong environmental justice organizations with a keen sensitivity to economic and labor issues. However, the two groups have not often worked together to consider joint policies and action. The workshops in August 2001 and February 2002 offered a promising start to the building of a Just Transition local alliance in the state.

Los Angeles Area: The Alliance brings together members of PACE Local 8-675 from the 809-worker Chevron Texaco refinery in El Segundo, California and low-income Latino members of the community associated with La Causa. La Causa and the local residents are concerned about toxic air and water emissions. Following our educational workshop in June 2002, we are designing a common pollution prevention strategy.

Richmond, California: Through collaboration between APEN, SNEEJ and PACE, we will help bring together the 2000-member PACE Local 8-5 and APEN's Laotian Organizing Project. In addition to focusing on the basic elements of workplace and community emergency response, we will develop common ground between the low-income Asian, African Americans and Latinos represented by the West County Toxics Coalition (an affiliate of SNEEJ) and the members of PACE Local 8-5.

Buffalo, NY: We are currently exploring a connection between Six Nations tribes in upstate New York, and PACE locals (primarily chemical, some paper), and plan to hold the first Just Transition workshop in August 2002.