Search Results for 'poznan'
Economy, Legislation & Politics |
Jun 8 |
U.S. Union Movement Joins in U.N. Climate Change Talks in Bonn
Bob Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council and co-chair of the AFL-CIO Energy Task Force, is in Bonn, Germany, for meetings to ensure that labor’s input contributes to larger United Nations global climate change discussions later this year.
More than 4,000 representatives of governments, business, labor and environmental organizations from around the world are meeting here in Bonn as part of global talks on climate change. The June 2-12 sessions in the former German capital are focused on the outline of a new climate agreement we’ll discuss at a larger U.N. climate change conference this December in Copenhagen.
Members of the AFL-CIO and 30 other international trade union representatives are taking part under the umbrella of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). We are here to follow up on our previous efforts that have resulted in language within the current climate change proposals that speaks to “Just Transition,” and to plan for a series of union events in Copenhagen.
Economy, Legislation & Politics, Organizing & Bargaining |
Jan 1 |
2008 in Review: Union Members: Yes, We Can; Yes, We Did
Here’s the final part in our series taking a look back at 2008. Be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.
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Change was in the air—and on the way—in November, as the AFL-CIO’s biggest-ever political mobilization headed toward the finish line. Tens of thousands of union volunteers packed local union halls to phone bank or to talk with union family voters in neighborhoods around the country in the final get-out-the-vote push to elect Barack Obama and win even bigger working family majorities in Congress.
Obama chose a union hall as his last campaign stop. On Election Day morning, he popped into UAW Local 550’s Indianapolis phone bank. Said Keith Neargardener, UAW Region 3 CAP director:
You know, to make the union hall your last stop before becoming president sends such a great message. It shows how he’s not afraid to say the word union and to embrace and support unions openly.
Economy, Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 18 |
U.N. Climate Change Programs Must Be Funded
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Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 in New York City, was in Poznan, Poland, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which concluded Dec. 12. Toussaint, who was among 100 union delegates, offers his observations on the 12-day event held to build upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia. Read the full series of posts here.
This event brings us one step closer to the eventual adoption of a new treaty (the successor to the Kyoto Protocol) to be signed in Copenhagen in 2009. While many of participants in the trade union delegation attended the climate change negotiations in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007, the expansion and diversification of the delegation continues. This year’s broad representation includes both AFL-CIO and Change to Win affiliates, such as AFSCME, ATU, IUE-CWA, IBB, IBEW, SEIU, TWU, USW, Utility Workers, UMWA and the Industrial Union Council.
Economy, Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 15 |
Reflections on U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poznan
Jon Forster, first vice president of AFSCME Local 375/DC37 in New York, was in Poznan, Poland, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which concluded Dec. 12. Forster, who was among 100 union delegates, offers his observations on the 12-day event held to build upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Poznan, Poland, provided an important opportunity for trade unions to be present and weigh in on critical climate change issues. As a public service union, AFSCME was able to bring some different perspectives, and a different set of experiences to the table. Working within the meetings convened by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the AFL-CIO, it was exciting to hear the different viewpoints brought by other trade unions from around the world, including Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Japan, Australia, Poland, India, Egypt, Russia, Kenya, Germany, France, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Canada, among others.
Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 13 |
Following the ‘Green Jobs’ Road from Bali to Poznan
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Bob Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council and co-chair of the AFL-CIO Energy Task Force, is in Poznan, Poland, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The meeting, which was scheduled to conclude Dec. 12, is building upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia, and includes nearly 100 union delegates.
What a difference a year can make.
Poznan is not Bali, nor were these meetings meant to be. As Harlan Watson, the chief U.S. negotiator, told our delegation:
This year is a way station between the Bali framework and the drive to a final agreement in Copenhagen.
What this round of talks will look for is a statement that shows some progress. There are also indications that major advanced developing economies such as China, South Korea, Brazil and others are, for the first time, identifying measurable steps for climate change mitigation, but financing will be a major issue. Major negotiating papers are scheduled for March and June meetings.
Economy, Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 11 |
Climate Change: Opportunity and Responsibility
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Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Vice President Ron Heintzman is among union delegates taking part in the 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Poznan, Poland. The meeting is building upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia. Of the nearly 100 union delegates, Heintzman is among the more than 20 from North America and sends us this report.
Prior to attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, my knowledge and understanding of the subject was limited. Like many of our members, I could see and feel our climate changing, associating it with the frequently used term “global warming.” I quickly learned that climate change and global warming were not one in the same. I also had little understanding of how encompassing and important the issue is and how it impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives, now and much more so in the future.
Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 11 |
Employee Free Choice Gains Backing of Broad Range of Groups
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The momentum for the Employee Free Choice Act is growing and the legislation is gaining a broad spectrum of backers. The range of support shows how much the public understands that a strong union movement can benefit the economy and the nation.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, one of the largest environmental groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council, announced its support of the bill, which would level the playing field by allowing workers to choose how to join a union. Also at the conference, the Sierra Club reiterated its support.
Economy, Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 10 |
‘Just Transition’: More than Buzz Words
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Lauren Asplen, assistant to the president for IUE-CWA, is among union delegates taking part in the 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Poznan, Poland. The meeting is building upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia. Of the nearly 100 union delegates, Asplen is among the more than 20 from North America and sends us this report.
The tug of war in the climate change debate is between how and how fast to mitigate the impact of global warming—i.e., between potential energy sources and emission reduction targets. However, within that overarching question, there are a myriad of issues that brought some 8,000 delegates and observers to the United Nations climate meeting in Poznan, Poland. One stands out as critical to union members, yet it has not received much attention. That issue is what’s termed a “just transition” for workers.
In trade union policy meetings and in the U.N. conference, it is clear that few agree on what a just transition encompasses. Among those who even discuss the concept, the debate often focuses on how much money should go into a fund to help workers in developing countries achieve a sustainable economy and adapt to the impact of climate change.
Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 10 |
What’s the Timeline for Reducing Greenhouse Emissions?
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Roxanne D. Brown, assistant legislative director of the United Steelworkers (USW), is among union delegates taking part in the 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Poznan, Poland. The meeting is building upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia. Of the nearly 100 union delegates, Brown is among the more than 20 from North America and sends us this report.
What Comes First?
That’s the question everyone is asking in Poznan, Poland. Does the United States take actions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by passing legislation in 2009, or do we wait for a new international agreement on climate change to be finalized in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of 2009? It’s the classic chicken and egg question. Which should precede the other? Which is most necessary to occur first? Like the chicken and egg question, no one has an answer (or at least a real good one), but one thing is clear: All eyes are on the United States.
Organizing & Bargaining |
Dec 9 |
Climate Change Targets or Climate Change Actions?
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Jim Hunter, Utility Division director at the Electrical Workers (IBEW), is among union delegates taking part in the 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Poznan, Poland. The meeting is building upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia. Of the nearly 100 union delegates, Hunter is among the more than 20 from North America and sends us this report.
This is my first climate change conference and it is truly overwhelming. The labor delegation started with training sessions Dec. 3–4, with the conference opening the afternoon of Dec. 4. The first thing that hits you is the enormous size of the buildings for the meetings. You need a map to find your way around the complex. The daily program is 37 two-sided pages long. There are meetings, press briefings, briefings of ministers and heads of the delegations and side events every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Massive amounts of information are presented, and we need to work hard to convey labor’s point of view.
