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Community Labor United (CLU) has forged a coalition of labor unions, community groups, and environmental interests to achieve energy efficiency goals and put low-income people to work in living-wage jobs that provide career opportunities. That group is called the Green Justice Coalition.
Lisa Clauson, CLU’s co-director, describes how CLU is working to make sure that low- and moderate-income people have access to energy-efficient, green opportunities funded by the federal economic stimulus program and a $1.4 billion state energy plan. The group is concerned about access both to the technologies that reduce energy bills and to the actual jobs that install and maintain efficient systems.
Lisa says Massachusetts utilities are required by groundbreaking 2008 green legislation to maximize their energy efficiency before they can buy or build more power-generating capacity. This mandate is overseen by a board appointed by the governor. As a result of efforts by the Green Justice Coalition, contractors for utilities must now pay living wages, offer benefits, and provide training opportunities. Nonetheless, Lisa says the implementation plan is somewhat vague. CLU and the Green Justice Coalition are working aggressively to make sure their issues are addressed in the plan. Already, the coalition has won a seat on the oversight board.
Lisa says CLU has identified barriers to its inclusion and offered solutions to removing those barriers. For example, job openings on green projects were not well publicized in communities where CLU members live and work, so CLU recommended that utilities rely on trusted community organizations to spread the word. As another example, individual utility customers who wanted to install energy-saving insulation or air seals had to pay the entire fee for the work in advance before they could begin to enjoy reduced energy bills. CLU noted that lower-income ratepayers were effectively locked out of the retrofits, because they did not have the cash needed to pay for the changes up front.
The solution CLU suggested is being tested through pilot projects and a new financing mechanism: lower-income customers can use grants to cover their upfront costs and finance the remainder with the savings generated by the efficiencies.
CLU uses grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) to help pay the salary for a community organizer. Lisa says, “We’re successful because we have pulled together groups that have different self-interests into a coalition of unlikely allies with unique strengths. CCHD was instrumental in giving us the capacity to convene the coalition and extend our effectiveness from the city to the state level.”
Community Labor United’s Green Justice Coalition now includes more than 40 member organizations. Its successful models are being replicated in other parts of the state. Lisa says studying the issues, the industries, and the training required to participate in green contracts is key to CLU’s ability to involve low-income people and communities of color in this burgeoning field.
This article is excerpted from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s “Helping People Help Themselves” newsletter (2010), Issue 2