During the week of April 22, 2024, SEIU Local 2015 showed up at climate justice events, engaged digitally, and celebrated the beauty of our planet. Click here to view pictures!
Climate change and resiliency are particularly important to SEIU 2015 members because the people they care for, older adults and people with disabilities, are often the most at risk during extreme weather events. Long-term care providers often act as first responders for their clients during climate-related emergencies such as wildfires, heat waves, and floods.
We also know that communities of color are disproportionately impacted by climate change. In California, in-home care workers are 80% women, 74% people of color, and 47% immigrants. As the nation’s largest long-term care union, our members are as diverse as California, and as an Anti-Racist Organization, we know that we can’t achieve environmental justice without achieving racial and economic justice.
We will continue to champion climate justice in care work, because care work is climate work! Join us as we show up for our planet through actions and initiatives for Earth Week 2024 and beyond!
What is SEIU 2015 doing to address climate change?
Caregiver Resiliency Fund →
In 2022, the Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA) launched the Caregiver Resiliency Teams Project, aimed at providing care workers with emergency preparedness training during climate-related disasters.
CCA partnered with SEIU 2015, County Public Authority, and Communities for a Better Environment to build confidence and resilience in providers acting as first responders during extreme weather events such as flooding and heat waves.
Fighting Back against Big Oil →
In March, SEIU 2015 members and environmental justice organizations came out to push back against Big Oil’s recent attempts to advance pro-drilling legislation. Joined by Governor Gavin Newsom and actress Jane Fonda, members raised their voices in support of SB1137 which would ensure there are no new toxic oil and gas drilling near schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods. Click here for pictures!
Big Oil is attempting to overturn the law but through collective action, we can make sure that we “KEEP THE LAW.”
Providing Clean Energy and Transportation Benefits →
Since launching in 2022, SEIU 2015’s Clean Energy program has worked in service of getting members access to clean energy transportation options. We did this by partnering with Access Clean California, a statewide program sponsored by the California Air Resources Board that connects income-qualified residents with clean energy and transportation benefits. SEIU 2015 is committed to environmental justice, because we know it connects deeply to every other facet of justice we stand by.
Championing Environmental Justice in Union work →
At our 2024 Convention, delegates passed the Racial Justice and Cross-Racial Solidarity resolution. We know that environmental justice can not exist without racial justice. That is why we are committed to a more inclusive approach to climate action, one that places communities of color at the forefront.
How are we doing this? We have formed an Environmental Justice working group, inviting our members to join us in climate action by:
- Attending climate rallies, including ones against Big Oil.
- Highlighting member stories with an emphasis on the intersection of environmental justice and racial justice.
- Educating our community on what environmental justice is and how we can implement it in our own lives.
- Celebrating the beauty of Earth through initiatives such as Earth Week and Climate Summits.
Join the national push to cut pollution
SEIU 2015 is calling on our members to support President Biden’s climate and energy plan which will cut climate pollution by 40% by the end of the decade. It will also push for new rules that will reduce air pollution primarily plaguing low-income communities and expanding clean energy jobs.
But their plan is at risk, putting our planet in danger. Corporate polluters and fossil fuel executives want to stop any push for environmental justice in legislation. We will not stand for that!