Unions call for passage of Climate & Community Protection Act
Call on legislature and Governor Cuomo to pass Climate & Community Protection Act with equity provisions intact
With four days left in the legislative session, union leaders sent memos of support to legislators for the passage of the Climate and Community Protection Act (S2992/A3876).
NY State Nurses Association, Transit Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, Communication Workers of America (CWA) District One, Teamsters Joint Council 16, and 32BJ SEIU highlighted the importance of the CCPA’s provision to invest 40% of state climate-related funding directly into communities most vulnerable to climate change and pollution.
Quotes:
“Our state needs bold climate action that invests in our communities and our workers. With just days left in the legislative session, we’re urging our elected leaders to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act. The CCPA invests 40% of state energy funds in working class communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and sets wage and labor standards for green jobs. It’s exactly the kind of legislation that workers in New York State need,” said George Miranda, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 16.
“Climate change is a threat to all New Yorkers, and it’s clear we must boldly transition our state off of fossil fuels. As we make this transition, we must acknowledge that pollution and climate change don’t impact everyone equally, which is why we support the Climate and Community Protection Act, and specifically the provision that invests 40% of state energy funds into working-class communities of color. In New York, we have an opportunity to build a renewable economy that invests in our communities, supports workers with family sustaining wages, and protects our state from climate change. The legislature must pass, and the governor must sign, the Climate and Community Protection Act this year,” said Bob Master, Political Director for Communication Workers of America (CWA) District One.
“The 41,000 members of TWU Local 100 demand that the legislature pass, and the governor sign, the Climate and Community Protection Act this year. Every year that we delay is a year our members continue to breathe in toxic fumes caused by burning fossil fuels. If we transition our entire economy off of fossil fuels, we can not only create new, good jobs, but invest in the health and safety of transportation workers,” said Anthony Utano, President, NY Transport Workers Union Local 100.
“It was an easy decision for NYSNA to back the CCPA. Nurses are on the front lines of this crisis, we see first-hand the destruction it has. The massive amounts of pollutants in our air are driving up rates of chronic asthma in our most vulnerable communities. We need to lead now and the rest of the world can follow us,” said Nella Pineda-Marcon, the chair of the Climate Justice and Disaster Relief committee with the New York State Nurses Association.
“Deep Emissions reductions and a guaranteed share of revenue to support impacted communities, as included in the Climate and Community Protection Act, are essential parts of any plan to help New York communities still reeling from the effects of climate change. From the Bronx to Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York communities know just how urgent this crisis is and we need our elected officials to take action immediately as danger looms for millions of New York residents,” said Alison Hirsh, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, the largest property service union in the country. “The time to act is now. Our climate and economic crises are intertwined and can only be solved with bold and effective government action.”
About the Climate and Community Protection Act:
The Climate and Community Protection Act (S2992/A3876)establishes aggressive mandates to ensure New York achieves a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the next 30 years, keeping the state in line with UN recommendations to avoid catastrophic global warming. Under the CCPA, 40% of state energy and climate funds used to propel the transition must be invested in low-income communities and communities of color. In addition, the CCPA would attach fair labor standards, including prevailing wage standards, to green projects receiving state funding.
The CCPA has passed the New York State Assembly in the past three legislative sessions, and is currently sponsored by a majority of State Senators and Assemblymembers. Both Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have pointed to CCPA as the way forward for climate policy in NY.