Hi John,

Climate change is not some “far-off” issue for the labor movement because:

• We are the ones out there building factories and schools when it’s 110 degrees outside.
• We’re the first responders and the sanitation and municipal workers who show up after a hurricane or a flood destroys a community.
• We’re the workers getting sick on the job, and communities choking on polluted air and toxic water.
• And we’re the families who live in—and have to rebuild—our communities after a disaster. 

But this Earth Day marks a new day for the labor movement. Earlier today, we held a Climate, Equity and Jobs Convening Kickoff, where we heard from leaders and workers on the front lines of labor, climate change, and civil rights.

This is a historic gathering that wouldn’t have happened a generation ago. 

We heard from Sophia Farve, a bartender at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, who has worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years. She and her co-workers organized with UNITE HERE one year ago this month. 

“We experience tornados, hurricanes, oil spills, water intrusion. Each environmental threat brings fear to the hospitality workers in New Orleans. We are the first to be out of a job and the last to be brought back to work. I live with a feeling of uncertainty. I live without knowing what preparations are in place for the next disaster.” 

We heard from Rhonda Leneski, a member of AFSCME Local 1072 and housekeeper at a local university, who cleans dorm rooms in 100-plus degree heat and is being refused breaks and air conditioning.

And we heard from Isabella Reusing, a second-year apprentice with the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), who talked about how her apprenticeship is equipping her with the knowledge and skills to fight climate change with every single building she works on. 

Finally, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler laid out some important principles in the fight against climate change: 

1. We believe that every worker and every family deserves to be safe from these extreme climate disasters. 
2. We have to address the inequities we know exist in Black and Brown communities all over this country that are being worsened by climate change.
3. Every working person who wants to work in these new clean energy careers should have access to these jobs—jobs that are safe, good-paying union jobs.

If you agree, watch and share this with someone who needs to know.

This is the first, but not the last, of these critical conversations on the climate crisis. The challenge ahead is urgent, but we know how much power we have to define the future we want to see when we stand together. 

Happy Earth Day!

In Solidarity,

Team AFL-CIO

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