United Steelworkers Send 100,000 Letters Urging Action on Clean Energy Jobs Legislation, Creating and Maintaining Manufacturing Jobs

Contacts: Kelly Schwinghammer, BlueGreen Alliance, 612-466-4483, kellys@bluegreenalliance.org

              Gary Hubbard, United Steelworkers, 202-778-4384, ghubbard@usw.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 20, 2010) As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up clean energy legislation, members of the United Steelworkers, along with USW International Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson and BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster, today highlighted the more than 100,000 letters sent from USW members urging action on strong clean energy jobs legislation with critical policies aimed at creating and maintaining good manufacturing jobs across the United States. 

“Union members sent more than 100,000 letters urging action on clean energy jobs legislation that includes the investments that we need to create and maintain good, middle class manufacturing jobs in this country,” said Dennis Barker, a member of the United Steelworkers from Granite City, Illinois. “Now it is time for the Senate to get moving on clean energy jobs legislation.”

USW local union Rapid Response Network coordinators gathered at the Nation’s Capitol Jul. 20 to deliver 100,000 letters to the U.S. Senate from USW members calling for investments in clean energy to sustain and create manufacturing jobs

“We have an opportunity to make America a leader in building the components for the emerging clean energy economy, but we can only do that if we make the necessary investments in manufacturing that will ensure that clean energy technologies are built here at home, creating and maintaining jobs in every community in America,” said Wilma Buckley, a member of the United Steelworkers from Collierville, Tennessee.

“We have to build a clean energy economy that maintains current and creates new jobs in America,” said USW Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson. “For example, every wind turbine has 250 tons of steel and 8,000 parts. Solar panels, energy-efficient windows and numerous other clean energy products use glass, aluminum, steel, paper products and other materials. We already have the domestic capability to produce everything here in the U.S., but only if we make the necessary investments in American manufacturing.” 

At a Capitol Hill press event, Wilma Buckley, Local 7655 Rapid Response Coordinator, read one of several thousand letters she collected from USW members employed at Carrier Corp., Collierville, TN.

“The United States is poised to be a global leader in the production of clean energy technologies, but only if we act now and only if we implement policies that build clean energy manufacturing,” said David Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations, including the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club.

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