Tuesday January 26th at 4:30p
Main Plaza (in front of City Hall) — Rally & Press Conference
Two national coalitions, the Energy Action Coalition (EAC) and the Center for Community Change (CCC) join with Southwest Workers Union and local grassroots organizations to call on Mayor Castro to take real steps towards reducing energy consumption and generating good, green jobs for the City. Wearing green hard hats, young leaders of organizations from North Dakota to Florida, Washington to Arizona support the fight against expansion of the South Texas Project, to phase out coal and dirty energy sources, to create a comprehensive free weatherization program for low-income families, to invest in solar energy and for a job creation programs in the green energy sector.
“It is time to get San Antonio back to work in clean, green industries. We call on Mayor Castro to listen to the people’s voices and make San Antonio a leader in the transition to clean energy, and in the creation of green community jobs, developing a long-term, positive vision for the well-being of working families and the planet,” stated Guadalupe Alvarado, community leader of SWU.
The three organizations will present a letter to Mayor Castro requesting support for a Community Jobs programs, asking for a formalization of commitments expressed in Mission Verde, and supporting solutions to climate change that benefit the working-class people of the City. EAC and CCC support the community’s call for a green jobs program to help communities make homes more energy efficient while also providing needed jobs. Specifically, EAC and CCC support:
- Hire locally. At least 80% of employees used in all CPS and COSA efficiency and renewable programs should be hired from the local work force.
- Green jobs should be living wage jobs. Workers participating in efficiency and renewable programs should not earn less than 180% of the state minimum wage.
- Hire a diverse workforce. Historically disadvantaged or underrepresented people, including people of color, women, and low‐income residents of the city should perform no less than 30% of total trades & technical project hours.
- Create a highly‐skilled workforce. Resources for continuing education and certification should be made available to those coming into the industry
- Establish green job training programs in urban-center high schools as well as internship programs for young people.
- Create a sustainability and environmental policy program in ACCD as a pathway to green careers, ensuring that young people from our communities have the opportunity to participate in the new green economy as thinkers and visionaries.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
