Green Economy

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The Labor Center Green Economy Program conducts research on issues of job creation, quality, access, and training in the emergent green economy. In addition, we provide research and technical assistance to state agencies, labor, and other stakeholders who are engaged in developing and implementing policy related to energy and climate change in California and nationally.

Research & Publications

Press Coverage

E&E News

‘Not a fan’: UAW workers give thumbs-down to Biden’s EV plan

“The core issue is how employers are deploying these new technologies in a way that explicitly weakens the union,” she said in an email. “All of the jobs in the supply chain, from lithium extraction and battery manufacturing all the way up to automotive assembly, could be union jobs.”—Jessie HF Hammerling, UC Berkeley Labor Center

Politico

Transitions: Blue-Collar Green Jobs

A University of California, Berkeley, Labor Center report out Wednesday measures the state’s progress so far, finding California has put in high labor standards for large, publicly funded construction projects such as utility-scale solar and multifamily housing development.

Wired

Autoworkers Prepare to Strike for a Place in the EV Future

An April study from UC Berkeley titled “Fossil Fuel Layoff” found that unionized workers who lost their jobs when a California oil refinery closed mostly found new work, but it was often lower-paying with poorer working conditions. The researchers say potential solutions include cash payouts for transitioning workers and targeted training for new jobs in specific industries.

Program Contact

Francisco Arzú

Co-Director, Green Economy Program

Jessie HF Hammerling

Co-Director, Green Economy Program

Carol Zabin

Senior Advisor on the Green Economy

Sam Appel

Practitioner in Residence