Jason Wardrip, Dennis Dougherty, Daniel Mondragon
Posted January 30, 2025
The climate crisis is hurting working people first and worst.
Our members are burdened by constantly increasing energy costs; they’re the ones who put their safety on the line by working outside in the scorching summer heat or in aging buildings with poor air quality; they’re the ones often cleaning up in dangerous conditions after climate-amplified disasters; and our members are the ones often disproportionately affected by toxic pollutants like nitrogen oxide, benzene, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide due to the proximity of emitting facilities near their homes. The inequality crisis and the climate crisis feed into each other and make it more difficult and dangerous for working families across Colorado to make ends meet.
But Colorado has an opportunity to change that and build a clean, equitable and worker-centered economy.
That’s why a wide group of labor unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers across Colorado have formed Climate Jobs Colorado, a coalition united behind a transformative plan to take on climate breakdown and inequality by building a strong clean energy economy that prioritizes the needs of Colorado workers and their families.
The clean energy economy is already picking up momentum. Every day, more and more workers are installing solar panels, erecting wind turbines, manufacturing the technology of the future, and building out thermal energy networks. But our state needs to ensure that these jobs protecting our environment are also protecting workers.
All climate jobs should provide family-supporting wages, good benefits, retirement security, safe workplaces, training opportunities and a collective voice. We get this kind of high-quality job by making them union jobs, and Coloradans across the state should be able to access these jobs through union apprenticeships. Apprenticeship programs create pathways to lifelong union careers, especially for women and people of color, and allow people to earn while they learn.
Our state is known for its natural beauty and resources. We are also seen as a leader in clean energy and climate initiatives. But we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to protecting our climate, and we know we can make more progress if workers lead the way. If Colorado’s leaders are serious about creating a clean energy economy that works for everyone, then they need to prioritize the people who are building, operating and maintaining it.
Working with researchers from the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University’s ILR School, our coalition has released the report, “Colorado’s Clean Energy Jobs Path.” This report outlines 26 key recommendations, including making Colorado a premier state in geothermal and green hydrogen production, positioning our state as a national leader in clean energy manufacturing and renewables recycling, decarbonizing Colorado’s public schools by 2030, modernizing our energy grid, scaling up union-built and net-zero affordable housing, expanding access to clean public transit, and developing heat standards and regulations to protect workers.
The report also highlights how we can maximize the amount of high-quality climate jobs created by ensuring strong labor standards, expanding funding for pre-apprentice programs, improving conditions for organizing, and ensuring a just transition for Colorado workers.
Together, union jobs and clean energy can help lower energy costs, decrease pollution in our air and water, and increase the quality of life for working people in our state. We have the opportunity to build a sustainable and resilient economy at the scale and speed climate science demands and create thousands of union careers in our communities.
Together, we can create a future beyond just surviving — we can create a future in which we all thrive.
Jason Wardrip is the business manager of Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council and president of Climate Jobs Colorado. Dennis Dougherty is the executive director of Colorado AFL-CIO and treasurer of Climate Jobs Colorado. Daniel Mondragon is the business manager of IBEW 113 and vice president of Climate Jobs Colorado
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