WEC Staff, Author at Work Environment Council

Jersey Renews Response on the Release of the Council on the Green Economy Green Jobs Report

For Immediate Release September 21, 2022 Jersey Renews Response on the Release of the Council on the Green Economy Green Jobs Report TRENTON – This morning at an event for Climate Week NYC Governor Murphy announced the release of the Council on the Green Economy Report, Green Jobs for a Sustainable Future, and 12-month action plan. At the same time the Governor also signed an Executive Order today to increase the target goal from 7.5MW for offshore wind to 11MW by 2040. In February 2021, Governor Phil Murphy created the Council on the Green Economy and tasked it to deliver a report with recommendations on how New Jersey should transition to a green economy. According to the report, New Jersey can expect to see an additional 314,888 net job-years supported over the next 10 years based on current green policies and investments enacted across New Jersey to date. The report lays out steps New Jersey must take to create an inclusive, vibrant green economy that will create business opportunities, uplift communities, and create good paying jobs. ... “Jersey Renews applauds the release of today’s report and thanks the Administration, as well as the many public members of the Council on the [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-09-22T12:52:55-04:00September 21st, 2022|Press Releases, WEC in the News|Comments Off

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Increasing Offshore Wind Goal to 11,000 MW by 2040

NEW YORK – Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 307, increasing New Jersey’s offshore wind goal by nearly 50 percent to 11,000 megawatts (MW) by 2040. The Executive Order, which increases the state’s current goal of 7,500 MW, also directs the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to study the feasibility of increasing the target further. Accompanying the Executive Order, Governor Murphy also announced the release of the Green Jobs for a Sustainable Future report, created by the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. The report outlines recommendations and pathways for growing a demographically representative and inclusive green workforce as New Jersey pursues its clean energy future. Established during Governor Murphy’s first term, the Council is comprised of experts, advocates, and leaders from across industry and organized labor. Governor Murphy directed the Council to prepare the report in order to promote diversity and opportunity in the green economy for environmental justice communities while making pathways to green jobs more accessible for workers, especially union members. ... “The roadmap offers policy solutions that will help create a green economy that will produce good green jobs that are accessible to [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-09-22T12:46:26-04:00September 21st, 2022|WEC in the News|Comments Off

NJ Work Environment Council Statement on EPA’s proposed RMP Rule
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NJ Work Environment Council Statement on EPA’s proposed RMP Rule

Press Releases

NJ Work Environment Council Statement on EPA’s proposed RMP Rule

For Immediate Release: August 19, 2022 Contact: Debra Coyle, 609.707.1320; [email protected] Rejecting former President Trump’s fealty to the chemical and oil industries, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed revisions to its Risk Management Program (RMP) rule to further protect vulnerable communities and workers from releases of highly hazardous chemicals, including those living near facilities with high incident rates, such as chemical plants. The proposed regulation, the “Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention Rule,” would strengthen the existing program rules and include new safeguards for approximately 90 industrial facilities in New Jersey. The Agency’s RMP rule protects public health and the environment by requiring industrial facilities with high incident rates to prevent accidental air releases of dangerous chemicals that could cause deaths, injuries, property damage, environmental damage, or require evacuations in surrounding communities. Debra Coyle, Executive Director, NJ Work Environment Council Statement on EPA’s proposed RMP Rule WEC commends the U.S. EPA for issuing this proposed rule. It’s a step in the right direction to prevent chemical accidents in New Jersey and the nation. In particular, WEC is pleased to see new provisions such as requiring facility management to assess and prepare for severe weather and climate change. Approximately one-third of facilities [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-08-19T17:39:12-04:00August 19th, 2022|Press Releases|Comments Off

Why clean energy jobs could be more plentiful than originally hoped – and those hopes were high
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Why clean energy jobs could be more plentiful than originally hoped – and those hopes were high

Opinion Pieces, WEC in the News

Why clean energy jobs could be more plentiful than originally hoped – and those hopes were high

Why clean energy jobs could be more plentiful than originally hoped – and those hopes were high By Debra Coyle (NEW JERSEY) - July 29, 2022 The wind is blowing in the right direction for job creation in New Jersey. Cumulative job gains in the offshore wind, solar and transportation industries – already expected to be strong – could be far higher than potential job losses if the state not only follows through but doubles down on its 100% clean energy commitment by 2050, according to a new Applied Economics Clinic report. The report says nearly 300,000 more job-years in the clean energy industry could be gained, translating into about 11,000 jobs annually, than would be created without new, ambitious policies. One job year is equivalent to one person working full-time for one year. Over the past few years, the cost of clean energy technologies has rapidly declined, making zero-carbon solutions not only healthier and safer but increasingly more affordable than fossil fuel. Newer, more efficient energy technologies are being developed and deployed across all sectors: longer duration batteries, more efficient solar panels, new construction and operation of wind turbines, and longer-range electric vehicles ... Read More: Why clean energy jobs [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-07-31T21:33:21-04:00July 29th, 2022|Opinion Pieces, WEC in the News|Comments Off

Groundbreaking USW Guide on ‘Stop Work Authority’ Will Protect Workers
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Groundbreaking USW Guide on ‘Stop Work Authority’ Will Protect Workers

Press Releases, WEC in the News

Groundbreaking USW Guide on ‘Stop Work Authority’ Will Protect Workers

Press Release: July 20, 2022 The United Steelworkers (USW) today announced the publication of a new groundbreaking guide from its Health, Safety, and Environment Department. The book, “Bargaining for Stop Work Authority to Prevent Injuries and Save Lives,” is the first and most comprehensive publication designed to help workers develop programs that allow them to stop unsafe or unhealthy operations and processes until hazards are resolved. “The United Steelworkers is proud to issue this path-breaking guide,” said USW International President Tom Conway. “OSHA does not require stop work authority, so it’s up to us. This booklet will be an essential part of protecting workers’ lives on the job.” The publication includes information on the importance of well-designed stop work authority programs and the pitfalls of ineffective programs that exist at many sites. “The unfortunate reality is that flawed stop-work programs exist at many work sites, and this booklet will help to change that,” Conway said. “In addition, workers often face challenges, including retaliation, in their efforts to stop unhealthy or unsafe work.” Debra Coyle, executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council, the nation’s longest-standing state labor-environmental alliance, said that the guide can help protect workers and communities. “By applying [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-07-27T20:14:18-04:00July 20th, 2022|Press Releases, WEC in the News|Comments Off

Essential Workers Deserve Hazard Pay – And NJ Has The Cash: Advocates

NEW JERSEY — It is nice when someone calls you a "hero." But that does not put food on the table for your family, these New Jersey advocates say. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, elected officials and workplaces in the Garden State held parade after parade for front-line and other essential workers, often centering their campaigns on a single word: "hero." But now it is time for them to put their money where their mouths are, according to a coalition of social justice and labor advocates. Earlier this week, dozens of New Jersey essential workers and representatives from several unions and pro-worker organizations paid a visit to Trenton to deliver a letter to state legislators, demanding "hazard pay" for essential employees across the state. Read their full statement here. Signers to the letter included NJ State AFL-CIO, RWDSU Local 108, UFCW Local 360, UFCW Local 1262, UFCW Local 464A, ATU, JNESO, SEIU 32BJ, NJ State Council, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ), New Jersey Working Families Party and NJ Work Environment Council. Read the whole article here: Essential Workers Deserve Hazard Pay – And NJ Has The Cash: [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-06-24T15:14:01-04:00June 22nd, 2022|WEC in the News|Comments Off

New Jersey’s Clean Energy Transition Could Generate $34.1 Billion in Statewide Economic Activity, Nearly 300,000 Job-Years by 2050

TRENTON — New Jersey stands to gain an average of $1.3 billion in economic activity and 11,000 well-paying jobs annually if the state accelerates efforts to transition to 100% clean energy, fully electrifies its transportation and building infrastructure, and ensures meaningful job standards are in place by 2050, according to studies released today by the Applied Economic Clinic (AEC)... “With strong labor standards, union support, and adequate training, high-quality clean energy jobs will offer competitive wages and benefits and fewer occupational safety hazards,” said Debra Coyle, Executive Director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council. “We recognize that it will be essential to provide adequate resources for workers caught in the transition to retrain and utilize their valuable skills in this new space.” If New Jersey embraces more ambitious clean energy policies and strong labor standards, the study found the state’s clean energy transition could generate about 11,000 jobs annually in the offshore wind, energy efficiency and storage, electrification and solar industries between 2025 and 2050. Over this period, cumulative clean energy job gains could be 6.6 times higher than job losses expected from a reduction in gas-fired power plants and oil heating. Ambitious clean energy policies are significant economic drivers compared to [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-06-13T08:55:25-04:00June 8th, 2022|Press Releases, WEC in the News|Comments Off

Amazon Workers ‘Treated Like Machinery’ Strike At NJ Facility: Report

Some New Jersey Amazon workers upset by an imminent job site closing walked out in solidarity Wednesday, June 1. Bellmawr, NJ - One Bellmawr worker told Eyewitness News he felt he was being treated like "warehouse machinery," not people. Amazon is reportedly closing the Camden County facility and forcing them to take shifts at a warehouse further away, the outlet said. But an Amazon spokeswoman said that Bellmawr's employees are being offered opportunities to work at five different sites that are as close as nine miles from their current location.... Debra Coyle, Executive Director, NJ Work Environment Council, said, "The New Jersey Work Environment Council stands in solidarity with the Amazon workers that walked off the job early Wednesday morning at the facility in Bellmawr," "It’s time Amazon, who made record profits during the pandemic, stops putting profit over people and prioritizes their workers' needs including a living wage, good benefits, and safe working conditions," Coyle said..... Read More: Amazon Workers 'Treated Like Machinery' Strike At NJ Facility: Report

By WEC Staff|2022-06-02T12:55:20-04:00June 2nd, 2022|WEC in the News|Comments Off

New Jersey Clean Energy Coalition Urges Murphy Administration to Equitably Invest Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Funding

New Jersey Clean Energy Coalition Urges Murphy Administration to Equitably Invest Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Funding TRENTON, NJ – A coalition representing New Jersey’s environmental, business, social justice, conservation, labor, and climate advocacy communities is calling on the Murphy Administration to equitably and strategically invest federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) funds to support residents in greatest need... “Availability of this federal funding represents a historic opportunity for the state to ensure counties and towns – particularly those most impacted by the devastating impacts of global climate change – are supported and prepared to advance New Jersey’s climate, jobs, and justice objectives,” said Debra Coyle, executive director of the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) and co-coordinator of Jersey Renews... Read More: New Jersey Clean Energy Coalition Urges Murphy Administration to Equitably Invest Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Funding

By WEC Staff|2022-05-25T17:17:00-04:00May 24th, 2022|WEC in the News|Comments Off

New Labor and NJ Work Environment Council Organize March to Honor Workers Killed, Sick and Injured on the Job

New Brunswick, New Jersey: More than 300 hundred members and supporters of New Labor, the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC), and allied organizations, collectively demanding “Safe Workplaces for All,” marched in New Brunswick on April 24, 2022 to honor workers who have been killed or become sick or injured on the job. The march, with coffins, handmade signs and chants to remember fallen workers, began and ended at New Labor headquarters in downtown New Brunswick. It is one of many events taking place around the country and around the globe as part of Workers’ Memorial Day, which brings together workers, families, unions, and allies to honor those affected by unsafe working conditions and to advocate for better protections in the workplace. “At least 57 New Jersey workers lost their lives in 2021 and will never come home to their families again,” said Debra Coyle, executive director of WEC. “Many more died from COVID-19 after exposure to COVID in the workplace, but most of those fatalities are not being tracked or documented.” Fatalities from sudden workplace trauma in New Jersey in 2021 included workers who were killed from carbon monoxide poisoning, blunt force to the head and neck, heat exhaustion and [...]

By WEC Staff|2022-04-29T09:25:14-04:00April 29th, 2022|Events, Press Releases|Comments Off