When junk bonder Charles Hurwitz bought up Kaiser
Aluminum and Pacific Lumber, then accelerated cutting of ancient
California redwoods and locked out his employees, he didn’t know he
was creating a new political movement. Yet outrage at Hurwitz’s
tactics forged an unconventional alliance between labor and
environmentalism. Just six months ago, locked-out United
Steelworkers members and forest activists announced the formation
of the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment to fight
unsavory corporate practices.
At a rally last
October in Spokane, Wash., burly Steelworker Don Kegley and an
environmentalist named “Felony” staged a sham wedding to celebrate
the alliance. Since then, the movement has been gaining steam fast.
Alliance members protested the Seattle World Trade Organization
meeting in November and marched in Washington against the
International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The group is drafting
criteria to identify both rogue and model companies and is pursuing
trade policies that protect labor and the environment. In early
April, the Alliance held its first membership meeting. Steelworker
Kegley and environmentalist Tracy Katelman were elected co-chairs
of the organization.
For more information, write
the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment, P.O. Box
3536, Eureka, CA 95502, or call
707/443-1783.
Copyright © 2000 HCN and Carolyn McConnell
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Green and steel – together at last.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
