CT Unions Join in Support of Sustainable Offshore Wind Energy

Labor leaders presented a pro-worker vision for generating sustainable offshore wind energy along the Southern New England coast as a virtual press conference, Friday, March 15, 2004. This effort unites organized labor, the environmental movement, coastal communities and elected officials.

“Every climate job should be a good job. We can't build our way out of the climate crisis with low-paying, exploitative jobs,” said Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne.

The national significance of this commitment was highlighted by introductory remarks from Liz Schuler, President of the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial organizations (AFL-CIO). Labor leaders from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are supporting their state governors efforts to create a multi-state approach to develop the offshore wind energy industry. These labor leaders represent state AFL-CIOs and State Building Trades Councils with hundreds of thousands of union members.

Building trades unions were early supporters of the new offshore wind energy industry creating support at the state level in collaboration with environmental groups and representatives of coastal communities.

These new collaborative efforts include working to build the industry supply chain, create new job opportunities through apprenticeship and technical high school programs, and ensure that women and people of color are involved with these training programs and are employed in this growing industry.

Connecticut AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne provided an overview of organized labor's approach to this developing industry. He called for fighting climate change with a combination of environmental and economic job benefits that will help transition to a greener economy. He also called for a jut transition that will provide prevailing wages, project labor agreements, fight climate change and lift up communities.

The approach to fighting the climate crisis and creating jobs that benefit workers, their families and communities is part of the federal effort by the Biden administration to jump start offshore wind energy production along the U.S. Coastline. This includes manufacturing turbines and related components, assembling and maintaining wind farms, and connecting to onshore power grids.

The press conference illustrates the labor movement's commitment to provide a leading role in building a broad coalition united in fighting he climate crisis, creating good paying union jobs, benefiting women and communities of color, and strengthening coastal communities.