SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
State Rep. Chloe Maxmin and allies celebrate the Maine AFL-CIO signing onto the Green New Deal. (Photo: Maxmin's Twitter)
Maine's Green New Deal legislation is the first to be backed by labor unions.
The Maine AFL-CIO made its support for the state-level bill public on Tuesday.
The union delivered a strong statement allying the organization with the environmentally friendly policy from executive director Matt Schlobohm.
Schlobohm said that the Green New Deal could answer the "twin crises" of climate change and inequality.
"Climate change and inequality pose dire threats to working people, to all that we love about Maine, and to our democracy," said Schlobohm. "The work of moving towards a renewable economy must be rooted in workers's rights and economic and social justice."
The announcement of the union support came from freshman Democratic state Rep. Chloe Maxmin, who introduced the bill last month.
In a tweet celebrating the on-boarding of union support for the policy, Maxmin shared a photo of the team behind the news.
"[A coalition] of labor, farmers, students, teachers, small business owners, and legislators came together today to roll it out," said Maxmin.
The state level union endorsement comes just over a month after the national AFL-CIO called the national Green New Deal policy "not achievable or realistic."
A number of high profile proponents of the the policy and environmental causes celebrated the news.
"It's happening, folks," said writer Naomi Klein.
Wow! It's happening folks... https://t.co/afssFoZFl9
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) April 16, 2019
Varshini Prakash, the co-founder and executive director of youth-led climate change group Sunrise Movement, praised the move.
"A huge congrats today to the good folks in Maine fighting for a #GreenNewDeal that works for all people!" said Prakash.
And health activist Stephanie Quilao said the news from Maine punctuated a point she and others have been making for a while now: that waiting for the federal government to make change will be waiting too long.
"Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level," said Quilao.
\u201cAwesome!! Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level. Get city, county and state level GND initiatives happening. Momentum at the grassroots level will eventually reach national fed level. #ClimateChange\u201d— Stephanie Quilao (@Stephanie Quilao) 1555445687
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Maine's Green New Deal legislation is the first to be backed by labor unions.
The Maine AFL-CIO made its support for the state-level bill public on Tuesday.
The union delivered a strong statement allying the organization with the environmentally friendly policy from executive director Matt Schlobohm.
Schlobohm said that the Green New Deal could answer the "twin crises" of climate change and inequality.
"Climate change and inequality pose dire threats to working people, to all that we love about Maine, and to our democracy," said Schlobohm. "The work of moving towards a renewable economy must be rooted in workers's rights and economic and social justice."
The announcement of the union support came from freshman Democratic state Rep. Chloe Maxmin, who introduced the bill last month.
In a tweet celebrating the on-boarding of union support for the policy, Maxmin shared a photo of the team behind the news.
"[A coalition] of labor, farmers, students, teachers, small business owners, and legislators came together today to roll it out," said Maxmin.
The state level union endorsement comes just over a month after the national AFL-CIO called the national Green New Deal policy "not achievable or realistic."
A number of high profile proponents of the the policy and environmental causes celebrated the news.
"It's happening, folks," said writer Naomi Klein.
Wow! It's happening folks... https://t.co/afssFoZFl9
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) April 16, 2019
Varshini Prakash, the co-founder and executive director of youth-led climate change group Sunrise Movement, praised the move.
"A huge congrats today to the good folks in Maine fighting for a #GreenNewDeal that works for all people!" said Prakash.
And health activist Stephanie Quilao said the news from Maine punctuated a point she and others have been making for a while now: that waiting for the federal government to make change will be waiting too long.
"Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level," said Quilao.
\u201cAwesome!! Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level. Get city, county and state level GND initiatives happening. Momentum at the grassroots level will eventually reach national fed level. #ClimateChange\u201d— Stephanie Quilao (@Stephanie Quilao) 1555445687
Maine's Green New Deal legislation is the first to be backed by labor unions.
The Maine AFL-CIO made its support for the state-level bill public on Tuesday.
The union delivered a strong statement allying the organization with the environmentally friendly policy from executive director Matt Schlobohm.
Schlobohm said that the Green New Deal could answer the "twin crises" of climate change and inequality.
"Climate change and inequality pose dire threats to working people, to all that we love about Maine, and to our democracy," said Schlobohm. "The work of moving towards a renewable economy must be rooted in workers's rights and economic and social justice."
The announcement of the union support came from freshman Democratic state Rep. Chloe Maxmin, who introduced the bill last month.
In a tweet celebrating the on-boarding of union support for the policy, Maxmin shared a photo of the team behind the news.
"[A coalition] of labor, farmers, students, teachers, small business owners, and legislators came together today to roll it out," said Maxmin.
The state level union endorsement comes just over a month after the national AFL-CIO called the national Green New Deal policy "not achievable or realistic."
A number of high profile proponents of the the policy and environmental causes celebrated the news.
"It's happening, folks," said writer Naomi Klein.
Wow! It's happening folks... https://t.co/afssFoZFl9
-- Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) April 16, 2019
Varshini Prakash, the co-founder and executive director of youth-led climate change group Sunrise Movement, praised the move.
"A huge congrats today to the good folks in Maine fighting for a #GreenNewDeal that works for all people!" said Prakash.
And health activist Stephanie Quilao said the news from Maine punctuated a point she and others have been making for a while now: that waiting for the federal government to make change will be waiting too long.
"Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level," said Quilao.
\u201cAwesome!! Great example of how we don't wait for #GreenNewDeal to happen at the federal level. Get city, county and state level GND initiatives happening. Momentum at the grassroots level will eventually reach national fed level. #ClimateChange\u201d— Stephanie Quilao (@Stephanie Quilao) 1555445687