Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about the creation of the Maine Labor Climate Council, a coalition of more than a dozen unions who strive to address climate change in Maine.
Phinney is also the Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1837.
The unions affiliated with the Maine Labor Climate Council have partnered with Cornell University to study the effects of global warming, and have established 11 goals for creating clean-energy jobs in Maine. The Council aims to create 10,000 to 20,000 good paying jobs in Maine every year, which Phinney admitted is a tall order, but can be done through union solidarity, she said.
Phinney also discussed the Maine Fair Trade Campaign, a coalition of Maine labor, environmental, family farm, religious, peace and justice and other civil society groups who advocate for the creation of just trade policies and a fair global economy.
Phinney also spoke about recent Local 1837 organizing drives, including a successful vote at a Maine Medical Center and a union election at Bates College that is currently being contested by management.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: