Union, Activists To Hold Town Hall On ‘Green New Deal’ In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — A town hall on the “Green New Deal” will be held in Newark on Saturday, May 18.

According to a news release from organizers, grassroots groups Sunrise Movement of NJ, New Jersey Sierra Club, BlueWaveNJ and Labor Network for Sustainability will host the town hall event, which is open to the public.

The event will take place at the district office of labor union 32BJ SEIU-NJ at 494 Broad Street in Newark from 2 to 4 p.m.

The town hall is one of more than 250 happening nationwide for the “Road to the Green New Deal Tour” that launched in Boston on April 18.

“We’re holding this town hall to show that New Jerseyans are serious in their support for the Green New Deal,” said Kevin Brown, 32BJ SEIU vice president and New Jersey state director.

Brown said that the labor and climate justice movements are closely connected, and collaboration between the two is an important step towards addressing inequities that New Jersey’s working people face as a result of climate change.

“A bold solution is necessary and urgent for New Jersey, the third-fastest warming state in the nation,” Brown said.

According to John Reichman, BlueWaveNJ environmental chair, climate change is the “overriding issue of our time.”

“It presents an existential challenge to our security and way of life,” Reichman stated. “How we answer that challenge will have a profound impact on the lives of our children and all future generations. We need to adopt a Green New Deal right now and get it right.”

“The Labor Network for Sustainability is dedicated to making a living on a living planet,” said Todd Vachon of the Labor Network for Sustainability. “By proposing a rapid, but managed withdrawal from fossil fuels with strong protections for workers, including a just transition, jobs guarantee, and unionization rights, the Green New Deal lays out the kind of vision we need to have both good jobs and a healthy environment, not just one or the other.”

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said that the state is in a “climate crisis.”

“Climate change impacts are worse and happening faster,” Tittel said. “Sea levels are rising and flooding is increasing. Health impacts include rising rates of asthma and Lyme disease. Our state is also battling damaging fossil fuel projects like offshore drilling, natural gas power plants, pipelines, and fracking. Enough is enough already.”

Tittel said New Jersey needs to get away from fossil fuels and move towards 100% renewable energy.

“This is especially important for environmental justice communities who already see a disproportionate amount of pollution,” he charged. “We need a just transition for jobs and a green economy. We are one people, one environment and one planet. We need to move forward and aggressively because the planet as we know it is at stake.”

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