Comment Log Display

This op-ed by Art and Ken Jacobs from the UC Berkeley Labor Center
ran in today's SF Chronicle.


State's global warming solutions should produce good jobs

Art Pulaski,Ken Jacobs

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/31/EDGH122UNM.DTL

Friday, August 1, 2008

Today is the final day for public comments on the draft plan for
implementing AB32, California's global warming solutions plan, and
one area that has still received far less attention than it should
is the key role California's workers must play in restructuring
our economy to reduce our carbon footprint. Here are some ideas we
should incorporate into the plan:

-- Invest in the California workforce. We need to make sure there
is an adequate supply of workers trained in the new technologies
of a greener economy. While some green jobs will be in new
businesses and new occupations, most green economy jobs are
actually variations of traditional occupations in the construction
trades, utilities, manufacturing and transportation. Workers in
those fields will require new training as employers adopt cleaner
processes. Community colleges, union apprenticeship programs and
other training programs will need expanding. It is also essential
that we reinvigorate career technical education in California
public schools for the next generation of workers who will build
our green future.

-- Favor policies that are proven to create good, middle-class
jobs. We applaud the strong emphasis on energy efficiency and
renewable energy in the AB32 draft implementation plan. Both of
these areas have been shown to create large numbers of jobs.
However, there must be measures to ensure that these are
high-quality jobs with family-supporting wages, benefits and
career pathways.

-- Prevent jobs from leaving the state. If businesses leave
California for other states or other countries with less stringent
greenhouse-gas emissions restrictions - and then ship the products
that are made elsewhere back to California - this will hurt
California workers /and/ undermine the state's goal of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. The California Air Resources Board can
prevent this by implementing policies to ensure that out-of-state
producers compete on the same playing field as in-state
producers.

-- Help workers transition to a greener California economy. AB32
is likely to result in some job losses in specific heavy polluting
industries, although overall employment is projected to grow. To
support and provide retraining for displaced workers, the state
should create a climate adjustment assistance program,modeled on
the federal Trade 
Adjustment Assistance Program.

-- Invest in infrastructure and innovation. Whatever system is
crafted to lower greenhouse-gas emissions, that system and
revenues generated 
from it should be closely managed by the public for the public
good. Revenues will be needed to help finance innovation and
adoption of new technologies that can lead to permanent emissions
reductions in California. This includes retooling industry,
research and development of new technology, rebuilding
California's manufacturing base, and upgrading our infrastructure.
This would include investments in public 
transit, denser urban development and building retrofits.
Additionally, because rising energy prices will hit low-income
consumers the hardest, the state will need to fund programs to
help them make them transition to more energy-efficient housing
and transportation. AB32 can be a win for the environment and a
win for working people. But the win-win is not 
going to be created by wishful thinking; it's going to be created
by intentional policies like those above. The Air Resources Board
has the opportunity to help shape this major restructuring of our
economy in a way that promotes California businesses, creates good
jobs for a skilled 
and stable workforce, and reduces our carbon footprint. Our planet
and 
its people depend on it.

/Art Pulaski is the executive secretary-treasurer of the
California 
Labor Federation, and Ken Jacobs is chairman of the UC Berkeley
Center 
for Labor Research and Education./

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/01/EDGH122UNM.DTL