DIVE BRIEF

Just transition needed in transit electrification, labor leaders say

Published April 27, 2021

Chris Teale
Reporter

Dive Brief:

• As public transit agencies electrify their bus fleets and other vehicles, they must ensure a just transition to protect workers who may be put out of work by the new technologies, transportation labor groups warned Monday.

• In a joint policy statement, leaders of two unions that represent transportation workers — the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU), alongside the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (TTD) — said transit agencies should be required to show the workforce impacts of buying electric vehicles (EVs), establish a national workforce training center to train current employees on those systems and guarantee that workers will be represented on task forces and committees around climate change and technology.

• The groups cautioned that if the federal government fails to mandate worker protections as transit agencies electrify their operations, major job losses could result, while a lack of training programs could leave workers unprepared for the next generation of vehicles.

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Transit Unions Announce 5 Key Policies to Protect Workers as U.S. Moves to Zero Emission Vehicles

April 27, 2021 • by METRO Staff

Union leaders representing America’s public transit workforce and the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), laid out five key policies Congress and the federal government must follow as the U.S. seeks to reduce its carbon footprint by transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric buses. The policies come on the heels of a global climate summit and promises made by President Biden to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

The policies outlined by labor leaders ensure that the adoption and use of greener vehicles does not come at the expense of protecting the needs of the public transit workers who will be working alongside, operating, and maintaining these new and emerging technologies — needs that transit union leaders say, so far, have largely been left out of policy discussions.

“As labor union leaders, we recognize the serious impacts from climate change and the severe consequences we face if we fail to reduce our carbon footprint,” said TTD President Greg Regan. “As with automation, however, discussions around the transition to greener vehicles too often focus solely on new technologies and fail to consider the impact changes will have on workers and the communities in which they live. By following the steps we have outlined today, policymakers can begin having more inclusive and pragmatic conversations, and ensure public transit workers have a seat at the table.”

The five key policies include:

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