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Saturday, June 3, 2017

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Glad to hear Trumka speaking out on Paris pull-out

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Glad to hear Trumka speaking out on Paris pull-out:

Glad to hear Trumka speaking out on Paris pull-out

Yesterday's protest in Chicago against Trump's Paris pull-out.  (M. Klonsky pic)

AFL-CIO Pres. Richard Trumka, responding, I suppose, to pressure from Democratic leadership, spoke out Thursday, against the U.S. pull-out from the Paris Climate Agreement.

“Pulling out of the Paris climate agreement is a decision to abandon a cleaner future powered by good jobs. A deteriorating environment is not the only thing at stake here. When our leaders isolate America from the rest of the world, it hurts our ability to raise incomes for working families and achieve fairness in the global economy.”
But Trumka's statement rings a little hollow after already selling out the labor movement and the Standing Rock water protectors on the Dakota Access Pipeline and XL for pipeline jobs. While Trumka has been a strong critic of Trump's who supported Clinton in the election, he has also indicated to POTUS that he's open to dealing for pipeline jobs.  Trump was happy to oblige after making some demagogic promises to keep West VA's coal operators in business and keep companies like Carrier from exporting jobs to Mexico. He was lying on both counts. 

He succeeded in repressing the movement at Standing Rock and gave the green light to Energy Transfer Partners to restart operations that were temporary held up by the Obama administration.

Before the pipeline has even become fully operational, hundreds of gallons of oil have already been leaking out in North and South Dakota. Keystone XL spilled 540,000 gallons last year.

Even without Trumka's support, other unions have been consistent in speaking out for climate Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Glad to hear Trumka speaking out on Paris pull-out: