By Cynthia Phinney, Pat Crowley, and Joe Toner

Amidst Omicron, political discord, and extreme weather disasters, 2022 hasn’t brought much good news. But flying under the radar is a game-changing story about state budget surpluses that could set New England on a path to tackling some of the biggest issues of our time: climate collapse and deep inequality. Read More

By Evan Popp, Beacon

Maine unions on Tuesday launched a new coalition to push for pro-labor environmental initiatives and unveiled a report detailing the bold climate jobs action plan the organization will advocate for.

The coalition, called the Maine Labor Climate Council, is made up of a dozen unions from across the state representing a variety of different industries and workplaces.

At the launch event, the council introduced its policy agenda, which is informed by a report spearheaded by the council and the Worker Institute at Cornell University. eacon.com/maine-unions-launch-platform-to-create-thousands-of-good-jobs-take-on-climate-crisis. Read More

By Lily Bohlke, Public News Service

A new report outlines steps Maine could take to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and pollution, create new jobs and build more equitable and resilient communities. It comes on the heels of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finding that the window to reverse the impacts of climate change is closing.

Kilton Webb, a fourth-year apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 567 who has worked on a solar field and other clean-energy projects, said it means a lot to be part of the transition to a clean economy. Read More

By Ric Tyler, Voice of Maine

Ric Tyer interviews Matt Shlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO, about the launch of the Maine Labor Climate Council and the release of the “Maine Climate Jobs Report.” Listen Here

By Nicole Ogrysko, Maine Public

Labor unions in Maine say they have a lot of ideas on how the state can combat climate change and create clean energy jobs.

More than a dozen unions have created a new Maine Labor Climate Council, which they officially launched Tuesday. The unions say Maine has an opportunity to tackle climate change, the economic fallout from the pandemic and income inequality all at once.

The unions partnered with Cornell University to study climate change and have set 11 goals for creating clean-energy jobs in Maine.
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By Cynthia Phinney,  President of the Maine AFL-CIO, a federation of 160 unions representing 40,000 workers in Maine.

The overlapping crises of climate change, widening inequality and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic present huge challenges for communities and working families throughout Maine. As the earth continues to warm we’re experiencing more intense nor’easters, worsening heatwaves, rising sea levels and the ever-increasing threats to our livelihoods in our fishing-, forest- and tourism-related economies. At the same time, four decades of stagnant wages and the economic fallout from the pandemic have left a growing number of Mainers unable to keep up with skyrocketing costs of housing, food, gas and other basic necessities. Read More