Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on President Joe Biden’s climate executive order:
Today’s executive order begins the process of fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to address the climate crisis with the urgency it demands while placing the needs of working people and communities at the center of every effort.
The clean-energy economy must be built on a foundation of family-supporting union jobs, and today’s order makes clear that President Biden is committed to that vision. It is critical we create good jobs in advance of any actions that cause reductions in employment in fossil fuel production and use. Working families and communities want to know, and deserve to know, that doing what is necessary to fight climate change won’t result in unemployment or a reduced standard of living.
The shift to clean energy is a tremendous opportunity to create jobs. The federal government must lead the way by insisting that public dollars are spent on American-made products, including renewable energy goods and clean vehicles, and that high labor standards are built into every action and attached to every federal incentive for clean energy. We deeply appreciate the president's call to invest in coal and other fossil-fuel communities to create good jobs in new industries and by cleaning up abandoned mines and wells. We call on Congress to support this order with the funding it requires while doing more to require high labor standards.
President Biden has been clear in saying he will be the most pro-worker and pro-union president in history. This executive order lays out a worker-friendly, climate-friendly path for his entire administration, and we look forward to working with him to make that vision a reality.
Contact: Carolyn Bobb (202) 637-5018