Wind energy could generate 3.3 million jobs over the next five years, according to analysis from the Global Wind Energy Council.
President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda calls for the installation of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, triggering $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, creating tens of thousands of union jobs. The move would employ more than 44,000 workers in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity.
John Shinn, International Secretary-Treasurer of the United Steelworkers, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss what an investment in wind power will do for American workers and why using American steel is critical to making the most of that investment.
Wind energy an enticing economic opportunity
With renewable energy projects, this country has a great opportunity to develop more good paying union jobs, Shinn said. In order to make the most of these investments using American made products, supply chain hubs to develop the steel will need to be built. Such agreements are currently in the works.
It is an exciting opportunity because without these hubs, developers will simply bring the components from Europe and the U.S. economy will miss out on thousands of jobs, he stated.
Some people may stubbornly deny there is a climate crisis, but the reality cannot be ignored, Shinn said. Even energy companies are increasingly becoming aware of the need to invest in alternative energies.
The good news is the $1 trillion infrastructure plan, as well as the $3.5 budget resolution bill, will put the country in a strong position to follow through on renewable energy investment.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
