By Stewart Acuff, UWUA Chief of Staff

12/15/2011

I was very pleased to represent the Utility Workers Union of America at the recently concluded United Nations climate change conference in Durban, South Africa. We joined with unions from around the world calling for the development of green energy and green economies while protecting existing jobs.

I stayed quite busy while there as part of the Blue Green Alliance and the International Trade Union Confederation.

I spoke for all of us at a meeting of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) about our being at the table in the development of new green industries. Of course that has never happened in America before.

I was pleased to meet with the US negotiators and talk about the UWUA's commitment to green energy development as a way to create new jobs and secure greater energy independence.

A global news conference called by the Blue Green Alliance with reporters from around the world gave us another opportunity to talk about the need to grow green energy as a way to create hundreds of thousands of new, good jobs. That news conference included the United Steelworkers, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Finally, we marched in a 10,000 worker global march through downtown Durban calling for the development of green energy as a way to create millions of good jobs all over the world.