Our Transition to the Green Economy Does Not Need to be Slow to be Just and Equitable

Photo Credit:& Linh Do, Flickr “What good is a dollar an hour more in wages if your neighborhood is burning down? What good is another week’s vacation if the lake you used to go to is polluted and you can’t swim in it and the kids can’t play in it?” Those were questions posed by legendary labor leader Walter Reuther. Reuther was the president of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) during the first Earth Day in 1970. UAW not only wrote the first check in support of Earth Day, it also contributed mightily to the national organizing effort for the inaugural holiday we still celebrate today. On Earth Day 1993, I gave my first major speech, on behalf of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). It was a rally opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The experience taught me firsthand how the movements to protect our planet and the rights of working people are tightly linked. We just celebrated Labor Day in what is projected to be the hottest year on record. It is a great time to celebrate the relationship between labor and the environmental movement. And a time to remember we have the tools to...