Climate, Jobs and Justice Newsletter: April 2025 ENGLISH
Edition 15
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SEIU members and worker leaders in the Fight for $15 and a Union are confronted daily by the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice. This newsletter offers a snapshot of how we’re combating climate change and fighting against environmental injustice in our workplaces and communities as well as calling on major industries, corporations, and governments to protect the health, safety and long-term economic well-being of all working people across America.
US Federal Update
Since his swearing-in, President Trump has kept to his long-promised assault on American energy, jobs, prices, and affordability. Working people, federal workers, the labor movement, and the health of our entire planet are experiencing major threats through the constant barrage of executive actions and memorandums signed by Trump. So far, his actions have been focused on revoking previous policies and signing new ones into law- many of which stretch the limits of presidential power.
He has rolled back and revoked most of President Biden’s progress on energy and the environment, frozen pending regulations and funds, and removed regulations on pollution and drilling. Notably, he has also removed the United States from the Paris Agreement and all UN climate negotiations. The policies he has revoked were intended to help the US meet our climate and energy goals, now putting those goals in jeopardy. Ending our commitment to addressing the climate crises in the US and abroad will have long-lasting effects, leaving communities most impacted by climate change vulnerable to extreme temperatures and storms that appear to worsen with time.
Additionally, the Trump administration has signed a series of new policies that move us away from global climate action, addressing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, and from clean energy. Although he has assaulted regulations that help us address pollution and increase the production of green energy, particularly wind energy, he claims the US is experiencing an energy emergency. He signed an “Energy Emergency” executive action that gives him the power to fast-track the construction of oil and gas projects. The removal of critical environmental regulations will be difficult to revive in the future and will have terrible consequences on communities that are already most impacted by extreme climate impacts such as storms and wildfires. For more information on the executive actions that have been signed, you can follow this tracker.
Legislation
Call to Action https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-clean-energy-2?source=SEIU
Disaster Response
Now, nearly 2 months since climate-induced firestorms erupted in Los Angeles, thousands of SEIU members and their families are just beginning a marathon to recover and rebuild their lives. Their stories join hundreds of others whose lives have been impacted by the climate chaos that our use of fossil fuels has brought. As we work to transition to cleaner energy and a more sustainable future, these disasters will continue and, sadly, are likely to worsen due to the wrecking ball that the Trump/Musk administration is taking to the climate progress we’ve made. Here, we share our members’ stories. We hope they inspire you to act in every way you can to fight for climate justice.
Canadian EJ committee
In February 2024, SEIU held its national Canadian Convention. At the convention, they approved a climate resolution that prioritized efforts to address the climate crisis and supported the initiation of the first SEIU National Environmental Justice committee in Canada. This major step comes on the heels of the ongoing work Locals in Canada have been doing on education and advocacy on climate issues. Over the last year, committee leaders Barb Cape (President) of SEIU-West and Jackie Walker (EVP) of SEIU Healthcare Canada have created a plan for the committee. They have reached out to partners, including BGA Canada, to explore opportunities on Federal and provincial environmental legislative levels and organized the kick-off EJ committee meeting in November 2024 (including Local 800, Local 298 SQEES, SEIU-West, and SEIU Healthcare Canada). The committee created and is currently conducting a survey to gather information on what members across Canada want to see as the key environmental priorities for their Locals. This information will help guide the work of the committee in 2025. Committee members are also planning the Environmental Justice component of Canada's upcoming API conference in June.
775 Homecare Training
Last year, Local 775 in Washington received a million dollars through WA General Fund-State (in the 2024 WA supplemental Operating Budget) for the benefits group training efforts. With the funding, 775 is launching homecare resilience training this summer. The training is a 26-hour, 6-week training program focused on providing homecare providers the tools to be prepared for, respond to, and recover from the growing number of wildfires in the State. It is based on Local 2015’s similar program created by the Center for Caregiver Advancement, which has trained over 2,500 homecare and nursing home workers in California since 2022.
Court says Greenpeace owes hundreds of millions of dollars for Dakota pipeline protest – Implications for Free Speech and Activism
In a big upset for free speech and the right to protest, a jury in North Dakota found that Greenpeace’s actions to support indigenous people during the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock defamed Energy Transfer and awarded the company $660 million dollars. Greenpeace plans to appeal the verdict and has a case pending in Europe on the issue as well. Many believe suits such as this, known as SLAPP suits, are intended to warn activists of the consequences of protesting and exercising their right to freedom of expression.
SEIU President April Verrett's Statement
"For SEIU members committed to climate action, this lawsuit represents more than just a legal battle between a corporation and an environmental organization. It underscores the broader challenges faced by those advocating for a sustainable and just future. The outcome could set a precedent that affects the ability of unions, environmental groups, and community organizations to voice concerns and mobilize against projects detrimental to the environment and public health."
Show your support by signing this open letter and learn more about actions in this weekly webinar series, both sponsored by Greenpeace..
Updated Apr 09, 2025