Late Saturday, SEIU Local 26 janitors announced victory in their contract negotiations, winning good, green full-time jobs with affordable health care for over 4,000 janitors in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. SEIU Local 26 was ready to strike as soon as today (Monday) if a contract agreement was not reached. See Saturday's announcement of the contract victory and SEIU Local 26 members' reactions:
Earlier this month, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released the findings of a report they commissioned on the job impacts of a federal renewable electricity standard (RES). The "Jobs Impact of a National Renewable Electricity Standard" study, conducted by independent, third-party researchers at Navigant Consulting, Inc., found that a 25 percent by 2025 national RES would result in 274,000 more renewable energy jobs over business as usual.
Employed or not, jobs are on all of our minds these days. The word pops up everywhere, especially in conversations about clean energy and climate policy. But what would a climate policy actually do for American jobs? A recent update by Economics for Equity and the Environment (E3) might shed some light on the subject. The Climate Policy and Jobs: An Update on What Economists Know report highlights two main findings based on the knowledge of five leading economists. The bottom line: climate policy keeps and creates jobs.
Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner came to Minnesota to check out our clean energy economy. He toured Honeywell's Golden Valley facility to see how manufacturing for energy efficiency and clean energy creates jobs and stimulates the economy. Later, he participated in a roundtable discussion where he highlighted the need for the federal government to develop policies that will spark increased clean energy jobs and economic development in the states, something we're already benefiting from in Minnesota. He also announced $5 billion in clean energy manufacturing tax credits in addition to the $100 billion clean energy stimulus dollars.
Read more about his visit in the Star Tribune.
A new report finds that Twin Cities building owners could save up to $10 million a year by implementing day shift cleaning. The report, "Clean Sweep: How a New Approach to Cleaning Buildings in the Twin Cities Can Protect Our Health and the Environment While Securing Jobs and Saving Money," was released today by the Blue Green Alliance and SEIU Local 26. It finds that a day shift cleaning transition could save 4-8 percent in office building energy costs, and adopting green cleaning practices--which encourages the use of less toxic cleaning products--would protect the health of janitorial and office workers in commercial office buildings.
Here at Fresh Energy, we're often writing about the new clean energy economy. But how often do you actually see the thousands of Minnesota union workers in clean energy jobs? Now's your chance. The Blue Green Alliance is organizing the Green Jobs Photo Project, with a gallery opening on Thursday, January 14, 6-8PM at Common Roots Café in Minneapolis, and you're invited!
Thinking about the clean energy economy usually evokes images of constructing wind turbines, weatherizing homes, and installing solar panels on rooftops. However, Service Employees International Union Local 26, based in St. Paul, seeks to include janitors among those workers whose jobs contribute to the green economy while sustaining families.
The new Green Jobs Study, produced for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) by Booz Allen Hamilton documents that spending on green construction currently supports over 2 million jobs and generates over 100 billion dollars in gross domestic product and wages. By the year 2013, this study estimates that green buildings will contribute $554 billion to the GDP, supporting jobs in occupations ranging from construction managers and carpenters to truck drivers and cost estimators.
Seems everybody's trying to make a run for the border these days. With Latinos becoming the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in America, everyone wants them as customers, and yes, voters. Latinos (or Hispanics or Chicanos) are fiercely brand-loyal, credit averse, and proudly patriotic. If Latinos take up the cause of climate change and climate mitigation, they'll be formidable allies.
Check out this great interactive map and accompanying report that was just released by the Center for American Progress, Green For All, NRDC, and Peri. It shows a state-by-state breakdown of how the U.S. could create 1.7 million new green jobs. The Midwest looks poised to benefit from the influx of green jobs, and Minnesota stands to gain over 30,000 jobs and reduce unemployment a full percentage point.
Fresh Energy Blog