PCUN requests solidarity to restore the Climate Protection Program (CPP)!

From PCUN:

We need your help to restore the Climate Protection Program (CPP)! The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced extending the public comment period. If you haven’t yet had a chance to submit comments in support of the CPP, NOW IS THE TIME!

Your voice is crucial in this fight for a sustainable future. We cannot let the oil and gas industry determine OUR FUTURE! Make sure your voice is heard! Click here to submit a public comment now!

If you prefer to email your comments to DEQ, you can do so HERE!

Click HERE for a few email templates you can utilize as you submit your comments. The public comment period is open through Sept 27.

Our kids deserve a future clear from toxins and pollutants in the air they breathe and the water they drink.
¡Si se puede!

Unions are the Mycelial Network of the Environmental Movement

 

Breach is proud to be a part of Green Union Hall, a network and education center for unionized and union-curious climate and environmental workers.

Back in March, several Green Union Hall organizers presented a panel, “Unions are the Mycelium of the Environmental Movement,” at the University of Oregon’s Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). The panel rippled through the conference: according to one participant it “was standing room only and was heralded as one of the most interesting and meaningful PIELC panels… ever”. Earlier this month, the panel was reprised at the Decolonizing Economics online summit.

If you weren’t able to catch the panel at those events, you’re in luck! You can now check out the PIELC recording on our YouTube page.

Stay tuned for more Green Union Hall events in the coming months!

In solidarity,

Danny + the Breach Team

Climate Justice & Labor

 This looks like an exciting program to be held in Portland:

 

Climate justice is worker justice

AFSCME Local 1072 member Rhonda Leneski speaks at AFL-CIO's "Climate, Equity & Jobs" convening in honor of Earth Day 2024 Heat is the leading cause of death among workers. Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat in their workplaces, both outdoors and indoors, and Black and Brown workers can be the ones hardest hit. The connection between labor, racial justice, and environmental justice was the theme of today's Climate, Equity & Jobs Convening hosted by AFL-CIO. The event discussed the challenges climate change has created for workers and the need for increasing federal funding to build a worker-friendly and sustainable green economy. “I have worked for 27 years to keep the dorms clean for the students," Rhonda Leneski, a member of AFSCME Local 1072 and housekeeper at the University of Maryland, said at the event. "Climate change has presented a new challenge to AFSCME members and the community. In my work, climate change has created worsening working conditions for myself and my coworkers caused by stress and heat.” Watch the recorded event » Taken from the Metro Washingto Council AFL-CIO

Earth Day 2024 and Workers Memorial Day---Labor Radio & Gatherings in Oregon

The Oregon labor movement is blessed to have Sister Tina Turner-Morfitt in our front ranks. Sister Turner-Morfitt is President of the Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, an activist with AFSCME retirees, a leader in the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter. and a primary person in labor radio in our state. Sister Turner-Morfitt sent in the following press release.

Earth Day 2024: A cooperative effort to save the planet. A review of a growing mutual respect between organized labor and the environmental community.

In acknowledgement of Earth Day a special tribute will broadcast on KBOO Radio on April 22, 202 at 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm. The theme will reflect how organized labor has transitioned to reflect a common
ground concept to ensuring strong labor standards while also exploring renewable energy projects and exploring responsible approaches to climate change. The episode will feature 2 guest, Jim Gourley, my labor historian, and Rory Cowal, a volunteer with Divest Oregon.

Brother Gourley is a United Steelworker millwright associated with Local 1189 Cascade Pacific Pulp in Halsey Oregon. I’ve invited Brother Gourley to give a brief historical synopsis focusing on the transformation of the relationship between organized labor and the environmental community. Brother
Gourley also reflects that other legislation was passed during the 2024 legislative session that couple the efforts of organized labor and the environmental community. Please consult the Oregon AFL-CIO webpage for more information at https://www.oraflcio.org/

Rory Cowal, a Divest Oregon volunteer, and a member of Portland State University Faculty Association union. During the regular session of the Oregon State Legislature, Brother Cowal supported and testified on House Bill 4083, The COAL ACT. I’ve invited him to briefly discuss this legislation. Brother Cowal gives a brief introduction about Divest Oregon and issues an invitation for interested parties to join their efforts. For more information please visit their website: https://www.divestoregon.org/.

Check out the KBOO website to listen to the broadcast: https://kboo.fm/media/117754-labor-radio

The show closes with an honorable mention of April 26, 2024 Workers Memorial Day tribute sponsored by the Oregon AFL- CIO. There are two ceremonies:

9:30 am: Eastbank Esplanade besides Portland Fire and
Rescue Station 21

12:00 noon: Fallen Worker Memorial on the Oregon State
Capital Mall

The ceremonies will include the reading of the names of 56 workers who lost their lives across the state while performing their jobs. Join families, friends, workplace safety advocates, elected officials and faith leaders in paying respect to these workers.

RSVP here.