Hi John,
At the UE Research & Education Fund, our north star is building power for working people. Our members are everyday people struggling to support their loved ones while living on the frontlines of diesel pollution.
Their stories are powerful, and when they tell them well, they empower themselves and mobilize those who hear them to action.
Will you help us reach our goal of raising $5,000 by December 31 to train our members in effective storytelling?
Storytelling is a crucial tool we use in our worker education and when our members give testimony at public hearings. Everyone has a story, and every story is valuable. But how we tell our stories makes all the difference. We train our members to tell their stories in a way that transforms adversity into action and drives the policy changes we need for a sustainable future.
UEREF’s Green Locomotive Project unites rail yard workers, locomotive builders, community members, and environmental organizations to demand environmental justice for our communities. We educate and empower our members to recognize their shared interest in a just transition to renewable energy. This change will protect their families’ health while creating green jobs. We’re fighting for a better, more sustainable future, where green locomotives are built, run, and serviced by workers with good union jobs.
The Green Locomotive Project is powered by the stories our members tell. In 2023 Cedric Whelchel, a railroad driver in Chicago who lives near his worksite, provided testimony to the EPA. He advocated for stricter limits on emissions and the adoption of clean-burning locomotive technology.
“When I’m at work, I spend a lot of time waiting near idling diesel locomotive engines. I know this pollution is affecting my breathing. I can feel it, and I am not the only one. We have a lot of drivers who have health problems. It impacts everybody, especially in the communities that are right around these rail yards. Drivers like me used to have better jobs directly with the railroads, but they subcontracted our work so they could save money. Now, they don’t have to pay for things like health insurance for us. Here we are, doing the work, making them money, and all they are doing is making us sick.”
When member-leaders like Cedric speak truth to power, we know we can win. Effective storytelling is a skill, and it takes money to train our people to do it well. We’re raising money to hire more organizers in CA, IL, and PA who will empower our members to tell their stories and create meaningful change. Will you stand with us in building people power?
Invest in training the storytellers:
In solidarity,
Kari Thompson
Director, UE Research and Education Fund
