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Climate, Jobs and Justice Newsletter: August 2025 ENGLISH


Edition 16

English | Spanish | French


SEIU members and worker leaders in the Fight for $15 and a Union are confronted daily by the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice. This newsletter offers a snapshot of how we’re combating climate change and fighting against environmental injustice in our workplaces and communities as well as calling on major industries, corporations, and governments to protect the health, safety and long-term economic well-being of all working people across America.

HEAT





Extreme heat is no longer a distant climate threat—it’s a daily reality for all of us.

2024 was the hottest summer on record. The past 10 years (2015-2024) have been the 10 warmest years on record. From industrial laundry workers and airport staff to fast food workers and healthcare workers, our members are on the frontlines of a worsening crisis. This summer is likely to be one of the hottest on record, with dangerous temperatures, wildfires, and storms putting lives and livelihoods at risk. Last month’s heat dome saw high temperatures, with over 2,800 records set during the heat wave.

In response, last month we launched Heat Season Kick-Off Week, a coordinated series of events aimed at raising awareness, uplifting member voices, and driving policy action.

On June 16th, we kicked off with a local union webinar for staff. The focus was to learn about projected heat trends, local ordinances, and bargaining language to protect members from extreme heat. Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto from Union of Concerned Scientists shared urgent forecasts for this summer and highlighted the disproportionate impact of heat on working people.

On June 17th, our partners at the Blue Green Alliance held a rally in front of DOL offices to bring visibility to the urgent need for heat protection.SEIU member and former Phoenix Sky Harbor employee Cecilia Ortiz spoke powerfully about her experience working in extreme heat and the need for immediate action.

That same day, OSHA began its public hearings on the proposed first-ever Federal Heat Standard (following last summer’s public comment period for the rule, where SEIU members submitted over 3,000 comments).SEIU members Linda Ressler (Airports, AZ) and Arnice Sykes (Fast Food, GA) delivered compelling testimony, highlighting the real-life consequences of heat exposure on the job and demanding that employers and corporations be held accountable.

“It just takes cold water, a cool place to rest, to prevent heat illness and the proper training to identify it when workers are experiencing it. We can’t hope airlines or major corporations will start caring about us. We need to make them do the right thing. Clear Federal heat protectant, where there is one set of rules for everyone. That will go a long way to making sure working people aren’t killed or permanently injured by heat.” Linda Ressler

As we face yet another heat wave, our commitment remains clear: we will continue organizing, advocating, and fighting for the safety and dignity of our members in the face of a changing climate.


Reason #2,934 to fight climate change: Deadlier Tsunamis

Fortunately, it seems that this recent tsunami will have minimal impact. However, recent research indicates that rising sea levels will enable smaller tsunamis to inflict increasingly larger amounts of damage on our coastlines.


Federal Update


What does the Big Bad Bill mean for the environment and clean energy jobs?

  • Senate Republicans voted to jack up energy bills and kill clean energy jobs, and to fund more tax breaks for billionaires.

  • This bill will increase the average family’s power bill by $110 next year and as much as $400 per year by 2035.

  • In fact, Trump’s attacks on clean energy in the first quarter of 2025 have already canceled or threatened more than 90,000 clean energy jobs. Now Republicans are putting 400,000 more jobs at risk.


Green Janitor program updates

2025 is halfway over and we've already graduated more Green Janitors than we did in all of 2024, keep up the good work!


Minneapolis

  • Congrats to new Green Janitors! Fourteen SEIU Local 26 members cleaning Hennepin County space for ABM graduated in early June.

Chicago

  • 62 Janitors started the course at The CME Center and The Franklin Center (both owned by Tishman Speyer), with instruction in Spanish, English, and Polish for Local 1 members.

Seattle

  • The six Janitors in SEIU 6's pilot course at Seattle Municipal Tower passed their midterm exams with flying colors; the Local is planning for a graduation ceremony in August.

Cleveland

  • SEIU Local 1 members cleaning City of Cleveland Department of Water space started a new cohort in June that will run through August.