New York, NY– On September 19, 2023, Climate Jobs NY received a proclamation from New York City (NYC) Council in recognition of their work to advance good union jobs within the renewable energy economy.
“Climate Jobs NY is very pleased to be recognized by the City Council for our efforts to make New York City and State a leader in creating good union jobs in the clean and renewable energy sectors. The Carbon Free and Healthy Schools Campaign advocates for New York City to transition all of the New York City public schools to solar power and implement other energy efficiency measures and physical plant improvements to ensure that all of New York’s public schools are healthy and energy efficient places to learn and to work,” said Lenore Friedlaender, Executive Director of Climate Jobs NY.
Rank-and-file members of three of the Climate Jobs NY coalition affiliated unions received the proclamation on behalf of Climate Jobs NY: Mara Baboff, a public school teacher and member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT); Emanuel Yllescas, an electrician and member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3, and Nella Pineda-Marcon, a nurse and member of the New York Nurses Association.
Climate Jobs NY is a coalition of labor unions that represent over 2.6 million New Yorkers on a mission to advocate for a clean energy economy while creating good union jobs. Since their launch in 2017, the coalition has campaigned for investments in better public buildings and schools, advanced a pro-worker vision for offshore wind, and secured strong labor standards for workers in the growing clean energy economy.
“We appreciate the New York City Council’s recognition of the crucial role that union members play in the transition to a clean, green and renewable energy future. Union members are trained and ready to build and operate offshore wind, install solar panels on New York’s buildings and make the energy efficiency building retrofits so that we reduce overall energy use,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of The New York State Building Trades.
In May 2022, Climate Jobs NY released a report calling on city leaders to invest in carbon-free and healthy public buildings. New York City owns approximately 17,000 properties, including over 1,800 public schools, 335 public housing developments, and 70 patient care centers.
“We applaud the City Council for lifting up the work of labor and community coalitions who are advocating for the responsible development of clean and renewable energy. The labor movement is in the forefront of these efforts as New York City moves towards addressing the ongoing threat of climate change and building out a clean energy economy,” said Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Councilmembers Sandy Nurse, Carmen De La Rosa, Amanda Farías, James Gennaro, and Alexa Avilés presented Climate Jobs NY with the proclamation as part of the New York City Climate Week 2023.
