COUNCIL JOINS CAMPAIGN FOR CLEAN, GREEN AND FAIR

AFSCME Council 36 added its voice and strength to the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance campaign to create healthier and safer communities, jobs and job training for low-income residents, and to promote community-based land use planning and economic development. The specific goals of the campaign are:

1. Green existing, deteriorating city-owned buildings and public spaces to create jobs and improve the quality of life for inner-city communities.
2. Establish a Green Building Careers Program to train and place 2,000 workers in good public and private sector jobs.
3. Involve stakeholders – community, labor, environmentalists – in the development of a new green industry in Los Angeles that deliver on-the-ground results to inner-city communities.

The Campaign was launched in August, 2006 with over 500 people packing Holman Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Members and leaders from a host of community, labor and environmentalist organization were present. They were joined by Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa, and Council members Herb Wesson and Eric Garcetti who signed enlarged commitments on stage pledging their support for the campaign and its goals. The festive and enthusiastic “launch” held out a vision and hope of building a sustainable, equitable and clean energy economy in Los Angeles and, at the same time, providing a path for job training and new jobs for low-income residents.

The City of Los Angeles has many old building that unnecessarily consume and waste energy. These building also emit carbon that contributes to global warming. The proposal will retrofit 100 such buildings making them energy-efficient, less polluting, and sustainable as energy becomes scarcer and more expensive. The process is known as “greening”.

Council 36 will add voice and strength in helping to assure that the City adopts these projects, resources are secured, and that the jobs created are good union jobs that will provide a more hopeful future for many who currently lack the skills and job opportunities.

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Council 36 Joins Steering Committee to Win Health Care for All

SB 840, The California Universal Healthcare Act introduced by state Senator Sheila Kuehl, calls for providing comprehensive health care coverage to all California residents. The bold proposal would also mean a net savings to employers, employees and the state. For the past year AFSCME District Council 36 has joined with community organizations, health care activists as well as providers, faith-based groups and other labor representatives in monthly meetings to build support for this crucial piece of legislation.

Representing Council 36 are Local 800 President Rachelle Sommers Smith and Lenny Potash, Retiree Chapter 36. AFSCME affiliate United Nurses of California is also represented. Another Steering Committee participant, OneCareNow, is leading a campaign to pass SB 840 and has been working community by community to educate Californians and garner support for universal health care.

SB 840 was reintroduced in the current legislative session after Gov. Schwartzenegger vetoed the bill last year. Labor and community activism is necessary to build support and drive this bill or other interim measures into law.