Trey Pollard, trey.pollard@sierraclub.org
Buffalo, NY -- After workers at Tesla’s Buffalo Solar Factory reached out to the United Steelworkers (USW) about organizing a union, USW and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers launched a union organizing drive at the facility yesterday. 400 workers are employed at this plant, which is on the site of a former steel mill where workers were represented by the USW.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"The Sierra Club strongly supports workers in Buffalo and all those across the country working to build unions to advocate for safe conditions and family-sustaining wages as they help tackle the climate crisis.
“All workers should have the opportunity to thrive, and clean energy workers are no exception. Tesla is an innovative company that is changing how we power our homes, our businesses, and our transportation in a way that helps curb the climate crisis while growing the economy. With that growth and innovation, Tesla also has the opportunity to serve as a model for how successful clean energy companies treat and relate to their workers.
“The 100% clean energy economy will only be successful when workers have access to good, family-sustaining jobs in safe and healthy working conditions. We are confident that is a vision that the United Steelworkers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Tesla workers, and Tesla leadership can build together in the months and years to come. Together, they can set the example of how to tackle the climate crisis while building a clean energy economy that works for everyone.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.