united auto workers

Climate Movement Monday: good news + updates + March to End Fossil Fuels

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of Movement Mondays in which we discuss all things climate-related! I’m happy to share some good news today: last week, Biden cancelled the seven remaining oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Image from Wikimedia. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

From pbs.org: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1.5-million-acre (600,000-hectare) coastal plain, which lies along the Beaufort Sea on Alaska’s northeastern edge, is seen as sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in because it is where caribou they rely on migrate and come to give birth. The plain is marked by hills, rivers and small lakes and tundra. Migratory birds and caribou pass through the plain, which provides habitat for wildlife including polar bears and wolves.

Note: While living in Alaska, I spent many hours collection signatures to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling, and once had a run-in with then Senator Ted Stevens. Needless to say, last week’s announcement was a long time coming! However, a 2017 tax law included a provision that there be two lease sales in the region in 2024. Biden needs to repeal the oil and gas program and permanently protect the Arctic Refuge on behalf of the Gwich-in. Also? Biden must cancel the Willow Project!

In less happy news, here are some updates on the Weelaunee Forest and Cop City in Atlanta:

  • Last week, the Republican Attorney General in Georgia filed RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges against 61 people while Democrats (Atlanta Mayor, Atlanta City Council members, and Senators Warnock and Ossoff) remain silent. In the document, the AG included a section on the “Anarchy background of Defend the Atlanta Forest,” which includes this: “Some of the major ideas that anarchists promote include collectivism, mutualism/mutual aid, and social solidarity, and these same ideas are frequently seen in the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement.” (see p 25). Guess what? I sign off each of these Movement Monday posts with “Solidarity!” and a raised fist. Also? Zippy and I deliver food boxes to people via the Rocky Mountain Mutual Aid Network. The state of Georgia is trying to criminalize people for taking care of other people. And on p 28 of the document, they decry “zines.” Oops, I’m also guilty of zine-making! My point here is that these are dangerous and oppressive charges meant to crush a movement and scare people away from action.
  • Today, organizers in Atlanta delivered 116,000 signatures in support of a Stop Cop City referendum to the city clerk. (Note: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was elected in November 2021 with 44,655 votes). Organizers were told the city would accept the signatures but NOT begin the verification process because of a legal injunction. This is an anti-democratic stalling tactic, as is their promise to use the same signature verification process the Democrats (rightfully) sued over in 2019 with the charge that signature verification disenfranchises marginalized communities. Again, prominent Democrats have remained silent on this hypocrisy. (Remember: in 2020, people all around the country rallied to support Warnock and Ossoff in their Senate races in order to beat back the Republicans’ fascism, only to see authoritarianism on full display over Cop City.)
  • You may wonder why so many around the world are rallying in support of #StopCopCity and that’s because this affects us all. Allowing them to build that urban warfare training center in Atlanta (to better learn how to crush movements such as the climate movement) will embolden the further militarization of the police. Already, there are plans to build a Cop City in Colorado Springs and Baltimore (like Atlanta, both cities have Black Democrat mayors) and another in Ohio. Plainly put, it’s vital for our collective survival to #StopCopCity.

Last week, I wrote about the potential for a UAW strike and today want to share an article from The Lever (“New At 6:30: Anti-Union Propaganda“) about the media coverage of the looming strike. Adam H. Johnson lays bare the bias in the media reports, including the conflict of interest between  NBCUniversal and General Motors. It’s a quick read and offers insights into how we as viewers can be manipulated by the deliberate framing of stories in the news.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that the March to End Fossil Fuels is happening in NYC on September 17th. There are also events happening all around the world (September 15-17th) as people gather to demand an immediate transition off the fossil fuels that are literally killing us with extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, pollution, etc. Check out this map to find an event near you.

If you read this far, thank you so much! I send wishes for a good week that includes moderate weather and temperatures. Solidarity! ✊🏽

Climate Movement Monday/Labor Day: solidarity with UAW

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Happy Labor Day on this Movement Monday! While the climate crisis continues to intensify, there is much to celebrate as workers organize and strike for better pay and working conditions. Here’s a great round-up on recent and upcoming union activity from Joshua P. Hill. Today I want to focus on the United Auto Workers (UAW) which is a great example of what a “just transition” should look like as we transition off fossil fuels to renewable energy. It’s important to remember the intersection between climate justice and worker justice. Today I’m asking you to make one quick phone call in solidarity with the auto workers (scroll down for details)

This is a complex issue and I’m nowhere near an expert on what’s happening, but it boils down this: Electric Vehicles (EV) are changing the UAW landscape and the workers need protections as the Big 3 automakers (Ford, Stellantis, General Motors) pivot to EV production. The following is an excerpt from An Open Letter to Big 3 Auto CEOs: The Climate Movement Stands with UAW!

Within the next few years — the span of this next contract — lies humanity’s last chance to navigate a transition away from fossil fuels, including away from combustion engines. With that shift comes an opportunity for workers in the United States to benefit from a revival of new manufacturing, including electric vehicles (EVs) and collective transportation like buses and trains, as a part of the renewable energy revolution. This transition must center workers and communities, especially those who have powered our economy through the fossil fuel era, and be a vehicle for economic and racial justice. We are putting you on notice: Corporate greed and shareholder profits must never again be put before safe, good-paying union jobs, clean air and water, and a liveable future.

I’d already decided today’s post would be an informational piece about the 150,000 UAW workers poised to strike and then was thrilled to receive an action alert from Climate Mobilization Project this morning. PLEASE take one minute to leave a message for the billionaire-CEOs of the Big 3 auto companies in support of the autoworkers. Here are the specifics:

When you call 318-300-1249, you’ll hear a brief intro about the contract negotiations from UAW. At the beep, just leave your message. That’s it!

Some points that you can bring up include:

  • The EV transition cannot be a “race to the bottom” that further exploits workers.
  • Workers deserve to benefit from the revival of new EV manufacturing. They deserve good union jobs with fair wages, job security, and dignified working conditions.
  • In recent months, workers and their communities have experienced unprecedented extreme heat, smoke pollution, flooding, and other disasters.
  • The leaders of auto companies have historically made decisions that exacerbated both of these crises over the past few decades — driving further inequality and increasing pollution.
  • Auto manufacturers can either do right by the workers who have sacrificed to keep companies profitable, or can face a united labor, environmental, and climate movement that is ready to fight side by side with UAW workers to win their demands.

The info you’ll hear before leaving your messages includes the fact that the Big 3 made a combined $21 billion in profits in just the first six months of this year . . . so a simple “Share the wealth” message is very appropriate!

Bonus: Here’s a short video clip of Shawn Fain, UAW President, on the gap between workers and billionaires. Gotta love it!

Thank you in advance for reading and taking action! These are scary times, but also exhilarating as we witness workers standing together for the collective good. Solidarity! ✊🏽