“For too long, labor and the environmental community have been perceived to be at odds,’’ said George Bachrach, president of the Environmental League. “There have been unnecessary divisions in the past. The trick is to marry up our self interests and work together on areas where we can agree.’’
Robert Haynes, president of the 375,000-member AFL-CIO of Massachusetts, said both groups can find common ground.
“We’re environmentalists at the AFL-CIO, but we’re also interested in jobs and economic growth,’’ he said. “This is a way for us to partner up on a number of issues.’’
Labor analysts say the alliance is an intriguing idea, considering that the two sides have been traditional adversaries in the political arena.
“I don’t think there’s a precedent for this in the US,’’ said James Green, a professor of history and labor studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “It’s a promising initiative on both ends. They’re seeing new opportunities to work together for jobs and the environment.’’
One priority for the council, which may ultimately have a full-time paid staff member, is to develop an agenda for building cleaner-burning power plants.
Environmentalists and rank-and-file union members have clashed in Massachusetts over calls to shut down coal-fired power plants in Salem, Somerset, and Holyoke, with the former saying such plants spew harmful carbon pollutants into the air, and the latter countering that they would lose jobs if the plants are closed.
The key, Bachrach said, is to push for cleaner plants before shutting down older ones, creating jobs to replace old positions.
The two sides can also work on policies to promote mass transit, energy-efficient office and industrial buildings, and other programs that create “green jobs’’ and protect the environment, Bachrach and Haynes agreed.
