USW urges action on clean energy jobs legislation

As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up clean energy legislation, members of the United Steelworkers, along with USW international secretary-treasurer Stan Johnson and BlueGreen Alliance executive director David Foster, on July 20 highlighted the more than 100,000 letters sent from USW members urging action on strong clean energy jobs legislation with critical policies aimed at creating and maintaining good manufacturing jobs across the United States.

"Union members sent more than 100,000 letters urging action on clean energy jobs legislation that includes the investments that we need to create and maintain good, middle-class manufacturing jobs in this country," said Dennis Barker, a member of the United Steelworkers from Granite City, Illinois. "Now it is time for the Senate to get moving on clean energy jobs legislation."

"We have an opportunity to make America a leader in building the components for the emerging clean energy economy, but we can only do that if we make the necessary investments in manufacturing that will ensure that clean energy technologies are built here at home, creating and maintaining jobs in every community in America," said Wilmer Bradley, a member of the United Steelworkers from Collierville, Tenn.

"We have to build a clean energy economy that maintains current and creates new jobs in America," said Johnson. "For example, every wind turbine has 2.5 tons of steel and 8,000 parts. Solar panels, energy-efficient windows and numerous other clean energy products use glass, aluminum, steel, paper products and other materials. We already have the domestic capability to produce everything here in the U.S., but only if we make the necessary investments in American manufacturing."

"The United States is poised to be a global leader in the production of clean energy technologies, but only if we act now and only if we implement policies that build clean energy manufacturing," said Foster.

BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations, including the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club.