Organization: VOICES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Mission: VOICES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AND THE LABOR NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY (LNS) WAS FOUNDED ON THE BELIEF THAT ALIGNING THE LABOR AND CLIMATE MOVEMENTS AROUND AN AGENDA THAT CONFRONTS THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE WOULD ADVANCE THE GOALS OF BOTH MOVEMENTS AND OFFER THE BEST HOPE FOR AVERTING THE MOST CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR MISSION IS TO ENGAGE WORKERS AND COMMUNITIES IN BUILDING A TRANSITION TO A SOCIETY THAT IS ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE AND ECONOMICALLY JUST.
Activities: OUR LONG-TERM GOALS ARE TO: -SUPPORT THE LABOR MOVEMENT TO BECOME A LEADING FORCE FOR A JUST TRANSITION TO A REGENERATIVE ECONOMY, BY BUILDING AND ADVANCING A CLIMATE ACTION PROGRAM OF ITS OWN. -SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND OTHER CLIMATE LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND: 1) LABOR'S IMPORTANCE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE CLIMATE MOVEMENT, TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY AND TO REDUCE INEQUALITY; 2) HOW CENTRAL WORK IS TO PEOPLE'S LIVES; AND 3) THAT GOOD JOBS ARE AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF A JUST TRANSITION. -BUILD BRIDGES AND DEEP RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE LABOR AND CLIMATE MOVEMENTS AND HELP THEM ENGAGE TOGETHER IN RISING TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE CURRENT CLIMATE CRISIS. OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF, WE HAVE SHIFTED HOW WE MANAGE OUR WORK AND WE NOW HAVE INTEGRATED PROGRAM WITH A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS, WITH THE LABOR CONVERGENCE ON CLIMATE BEING THE MAIN DELIVERY MECHANISM. THE CONVERGENCE INCLUDES THE NETWORKING, ASSISTANCE, TRAINING, PUBLISHING AND CONVENING WE DO YEAR ROUND THE CONVERGENCE'S ORGANIZING PLAN IS FOCUSED ON BUILDING BRIDGES AND DEEP RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE LABOR AND CLIMATE JUSTICE AND CLIMATE MOVEMENTS AND CREATING SPACE AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE THEM TOGETHER IN PUSHING THE ENVELOPE - ADVANCING CONCRETE GREEN NEW DEAL AND JUST TRANSITION PROJECTS AND POLICIES. LNS-VSF THEORY OF CHANGE: LNS THEORY OF CHANGE IS ROOTED IN THE IDEA THAT TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE IS ACHIEVED BY ACTIVE AND MILITANT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS -- WITH MASSES OF PEOPLE EXERCISING BOLD STRATEGIES AND TACTICS TO CONFRONT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POWER. A POWERFUL SOCIAL MOVEMENT IS NECESSARY TO WIN THE BOLD AND COMPREHENSIVE POLICIES WE NEED TO CONFRONT THE CLIMATE CRISIS. MASS MOVEMENT STRATEGIES CREATE AND USE MOMENTUM AND ENERGY THAT OPEN UP CRITICAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHANGE, BUT THIS ENERGY HAS TO BE COUPLED WITH SMART STRATEGIES TARGETING KEY OBSTACLES TO CHANGE. OUR STRATEGIES AS INFORMED BY THIS THEORY OF CHANGE ARE: -CHALLENGING DOMINANT INSTITUTIONS THAT RESIST CLIMATE ACTION -BUILDING A VISION TO WORK TOWARD -CHANGING NARRATIVES ELEMENTS OF OUR PROGRAM ARE: -FUNCTIONING AS A NATIONAL THINK AND ACT TANK -BASE AND NETWORK BUILDING -PROMOTING AND SHAPING A GREEN NEW DEAL PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2019 INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING. 1. JUNE 2019 LABOR CONVERGENCE ON CLIMATE, CHICAGO IL: 302,025 OUR JUNE NATIONAL CONVERGENCE WAS THE LARGEST AND MOST DYNAMIC EVER. LOCATING THE CONVERGENCE IN CHICAGO WAS CRITICAL TO EXPANDING OUR PRESENCE AND BASE IN THE MIDWEST, AND WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN RECRUITING SIGNIFICANT MIDWEST PARTICIPATION. THIS MEANT THAT THERE WAS A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ATTENDEES GETTING TO KNOW LNS FOR THE FIRST TIME. IN ADDITION TO A LARGE NUMBER OF RANK AND FILE UNION MEMBERS AND A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER FROM LABOR - ALLIED CLIMATE AND CLIMATE JUSTICE GROUPS, PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED A NUMBER OF LABOR LEADERS: TWO NATIONAL UNION PRESIDENTS (SARA NELSON, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND CECIL ROBERTS, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA), AS WELL AS THE CO-CHAIR OF THE AFL-CIO ENERGY COMMITTEE, PETER KNOWLTON, UE. WE ALSO HAD LEADERS FROM A NUMBER OF VERY LARGE LOCALS: MARIA CASTANEDA, SECRETARY TREASURER OF 1199 SEIU, TOM BALANOFF, PRESIDENT OF SEIU LOCAL 1, AND CHRIS ERICKSON, BUSINESS MANAGER, IBEW LOCAL 3. AND WE HAD SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP FROM STATE FEDERATIONS AND CENTRAL LABOR COUNCILS: CYNTHIA PHINNEY, PRESIDENT, MAINE AFL-CIO; BARBARA BYRD, SECRETARY-TREASURER, OREGON AFL-CIO; HARRIETT APPLEBAUM, NORTH SHORE LABOR COUNCIL IN CLEVELAND; AND JEFF CROSBY, NORTH SHORE LABOR COUNCIL, MASSACHUSETTS. THE CONVERGENCE REFLECTED THAT OUR VISIBILITY AND INFLUENCE IS GROWING AT A CRITICAL TIME. IT ALSO SOLIDIFIED LNS AS A PRIMARY RESOURCE FOR THE LABOR MOVEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AND A GREEN NEW DEAL . 2. JUST TRANSITION AND A GREEN NEW DEAL: 171,610 JUST TRANSITION, WHETHER EXPLICITLY OR NOT, IS INCREASINGLY AT THE CENTER OF POLICY DISCUSSIONS RELATED TO CLIMATE. WE HAVE FOUND IN CONVERSATIONS WITH LABOR LEADERS AND MEMBERS THAT MANY UNIONS HAVE EXPERIENCED JOB LOSS AND RETRAINING. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT WE HEAR THAT THE EXPERIENCE HAS NOT BEEN GOOD. DISPLACED WORKERS ARE GIVEN ACCESS TO TRAINING AND EDUCATION BUT THERE ARE NO JOBS AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. TRANSITION PROGRAMS, WHERE THEY HAVE EXISTED, HAVE GENERALLY BEEN REACTIVE AND WEAK ON IMPLEMENTATION. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER IN INSTANCES WHERE LABOR AND COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN SHAPING THE TRANSITION PROCESS. ENGAGING GOVERNMENTS, LABOR AND COMMUNITY IN PROACTIVE JUST TRANSITION STRATEGIES IS CRITICAL TO ANY CLIMATE POLICY, AND VSF'S LABOR NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN THIS EFFORT. IN CALIFORNIA THE LAST CHANCE ALLIANCE (LCA) CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN CALLING ON GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM TO BAN FUTURE FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE, PHASE OUT EXISTING FACILITIES AND IMPOSE A BUFFER ZONE AROUND OIL DRILLING SITES. LNS WAS ASKED TO HELP DEVELOP A JUST TRANSITION PLATFORM FOR LCA IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF WORKERS. LNS HAS SINCE CONNECTED LABOR LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS TO THE ALLIANCE, WHICH PREVIOUSLY HAD NO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LABOR MOVEMENT. THE STATE OF COLORADO RECENTLY ESTABLISHED THE FIRST JUST TRANSITION OFFICE WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE LABOR FEDERATION. LNS BOARD MEMBER JEFF JOHNSON WAS A KEY RESOURCE PERSON TO THE COLORADO AFL-CIO IN THAT EFFORT. THERE ARE SOME CRITICAL MOVEMENT INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE CRITICAL TO WINNING THE GND AND EFFECTIVE JUST TRANSITION POLICY. LNS AGAIN IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN BUILDING THESE BRIDGES. THESE MOVEMENTS ARE YOUTH, COMMUNITY, INDIGENOUS AND LABOR. OUR PROGRAM WORK AT PRETTY MUCH ALL LEVELS BRINGS TOGETHER MANY OF THESE CONSTITUENCIES. 3. LABOR SUPPORT FOR STUDENT CLIMATE STRIKES/CLIMATE MOVEMENT: 137,285 DURING THE JUNE CONVERGENCE, WE HELD A WORKSHOP DURING WHICH WE BEGAN ORGANIZING ADULT SUPPORT FOR THE RECENT ROUND OF YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKES IN SEPTEMBER. AT THE END OF JULY, 350 CONTRACTED WITH LNS TO CONVENE A LABOR TABLE. ROUGHLY 37 LABOR BODIES WERE DOCUMENTED AS ENDORSING THE STRIKES AND TAKING ACTION, INCLUDING FIVE NATIONAL UNIONS (SEIU, AFT, CWA, SEIU, UE AND UNITE HERE). A VIDEO DEVELOPED BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH LABOR LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS AT THE NATIONAL CONVERGENCE WAS DISTRIBUTED WIDELY AND A VERY EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY BY VOLUNTEER LNS -VSF YOUTH INTERNS LEO BLAIN AND EMILY FOX EXPANDED OUR PUBLIC REACH EXPONENTIALLY. IN LATE 2019 WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE A YOUTH CLIMATE ORGANIZER 4. OTHER: JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (JEDI): 75,503 BEGINNING AT THE JUNE CONVERGENCE, OUR BOARD HAS TAKEN UP CRITICAL WORK TO STRENGTHEN JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (JEDI) THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION. IN RESPONSE TO A RESOLUTION FROM THE PEOPLE OF COLOR CAUCUS PRESENTED AT THE 2019 CONVERGENCE, THE BOARD DEVELOPED A SET OF JEDI RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE SHARED WITH THE PARTICIPANTS. THIS INCLUDED NOT ONLY A COMMITMENT TO ADOPTING BEST JEDI PRACTICES FOR CONDUCTING ALL OF OUR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES, BUT ALSO DIVERSIFYING THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF: THE BOARD, STAFF AND PLANNING BODIES OF LNS/VSF. DURING THE LAST HALF OF 2019 THIS INCLUDED DIVERSIFYING BOTH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE STAFF - BY AGE, GENDER AND ETHNICITY. TO THIS END, IN THE 4TH QUARTER OF 2019 WE BROUGHT ONTO THE BOARD FIVE NEW MEMBERS REPRESENTING DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BECOME INVOLVED IN OUR
NTEE category: Environment
Secondary category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building