R E M A R K S
Mark H. Ayers
Chairman
National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans
and
President
Building & Construction Trades Department
AFL-CIO
to
League of Conservation Voters Annual Dinner
New York, New York
October 15, 2009
Thank you for that warm introduction.
Before I begin, I would like to issue an important announcement.
The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has officially resigned its membership in the United States Chamber of Commerce because of its policy on climate change.
Oh, wait…that’s right, we are not members.
Damn…I guess I’m just jealous that we’re not a member of such an esteemed organization…
because nothing seems as fun these days as sticking it to the Chamber.
It’s like someone yelled “FIRE!” and everybody is making a mad dash to the exits.
I gotta tell you…it’s been fun to watch.
But more importantly, it has been inspiring because I believe the actions of:
- Duke Energy
- Pacific Gas & Electric
- Excelon
- Nike, and
- Apple
are symbolic of the transformational changes that are occurring in our nation today.
Changes that include forward-thinking corporations…
who believe that doing right by their workers and the environment…
is just as important to their bottom lines as their profit margins.
And there are other transformational changes that are happening all around us.
Like America’s Building Trades Unions joining with the League of Conservation Voters to educate our nation’s lawmakers…
as well as the general public…
on the positive impact that moving to a clean energy future will have on our environment and our economy.
And on that score, I would like to personally acknowledge and thank Gene Karpinski…
the Board of Directors of the League of Conservation Voters…
as well as the Washington, DC staff of the LCV…
for their tireless dedication and devotion towards nurturing this relationship along.
We are committed to this relationship…
And we are encouraged by the American Clean Energy & Security Act.
We are committed to working with LCV and others…
to ensure that our nation’s clean energy future is one that is built with American components and American workers.
Our message is quite simple.
Doing nothing is not an option.
And that is a lesson that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is learning in a painful way.
What the Chamber and others are failing to realize is that a new day has dawned in the United States.
A new generation of Americans has rejected the failed policies of the past…
And we have embraced a renewed sense of hope about the future.
That is the underlying subtext to what is driving these companies to bid a fond farewell to the Chamber and their outdated mindset.
Today, Americans are hoping for and expecting…
a new conversation among the progressive forces…
corporations, unions, environmentalists, social justice activists, and many others…
about how we can work together to change America.
America’s Building Trades Unions welcome the opportunity…
to engage in that strategic conversation about our nation’s future.
President Obama has made it clear…
that his Administration intends to invest enormous resources in modernizing our infrastructure,…
creating clean energy jobs, and greening our economy.
And our unions have both…
a clear interest in these initiatives…
as well as the workforce and the training capacity…
to meet the challenges associated with them to ensure their success.
Already, our members are hard at work building the clean energy future of tomorrow.
For example…
in Indiana thanks to the dedicated skills of the men and women of our unions,…
the first phase of the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County is fully operational.
The first 400 megawatts of the project will generate enough carbon-free electricity…
to power approximately 120,000 average homes.
The second phase of the project…
which will produce an additional 300 megawatts is being constructed as we speak.
Together, they will comprise the largest wind farm in the Midwest.
Make no mistake about it...
America's Building Trades Unions are committed to the development of a cleaner, more efficient energy future.
And we are grateful to organizations like the League of Conservation Voters…
who understand that the journey to a clean energy future…
must occur on a high road pathway to economic revitalization.
Put simply,…
it means we must ensure that efforts to protect our environment and rebuild our economy…
are inextricably tied to a commitment to rebuild America’s middle class…
being mindful of social equity, economic justice, environmental sustainability, labor standards and workers’ rights.
And that is how America’s Building Trades Unions have approached this debate.
And it is why we are so grateful to be working with the League of Conservation Voters.
Because you all “get it.”
Transitioning to a clean energy future…
rebuilding the American economy…
and rebuilding the middle class represent enormous challenges tied to other vexing problems confronting the United States and the world.
These include:
- urban poverty
- growing unemployment
- under-employment
- environmental degradation…
…and the need for both energy independence and economic sustainability.
These challenges cannot be met and these problems cannot be solved…
without the creation of active and enthusiastic coalitions…
that understand that individual interests are connected by global concerns.
Ladies and gentlemen…
America’s Building Trades Unions salute you and the League of Conservation Voters.
And we stand ready and willing to continue our work with you to chart a new course for this great nation.
Thank you…
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