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Conclusion
“If we are going to get where we want to go, then we can ill afford playing the fates and the futures by ear. From here on we must make those decisions which propel us into a new dawn at the head of society, and we shall do it in our own self-determined way.” 391
Former IAM President William Winpisinger wrote these words in 1989. While he wasn’t necessarily talking about climate change, his words ring true as the IAM, the labor movement, and society at large wrestle with how to deal with the existential crisis of our time.
The need for climate action is no longer up for debate. Wildfires, hurricanes, and many other calamities, both seen and unseen, make the need to act more apparent every day. The question is: What will this action look like, and in whose interests?
If left to the corporate class alone, climate action will lack the ambition needed to leave a habitable, sustainable world for future generations. Further, it will almost certainly be in service of profits and shareholder returns rather than the needs of working families and communities. If we want a truly just transition to the low-carbon, climate safe economy of the future, then organized labor must play a central role in making it happen.
In these pages, we conveyed the stakes of this fight and why it matters to IAM members in every sector of the economy and in every corner of the United States and Canada. We also proposed a “Climate Jobs Agenda” for the IAM, outlining several key steps the union’s members, leaders, and staff can take to advance a bold, equitable, resilient, and unionized clean energy future.
As noted in the introduction, this report is not an ending point. Rather, it lays out a vision for how the IAM can grow its membership in climate and clean energy industries, ensure that new clean energy jobs are high-quality, union careers, become resilient to climate impacts, and strengthen its power at the bargaining table and on the shop floor. Through concerted action at every level of the union, the IAM can make this vision a reality, ushering in a more sustainable future not just for its members, but for communities around the world.
391 William W. Winpisinger Center, “About The Winpisinger Center.”