Eric Jenkins is a member of Socialist Alternative in the US.
Climate change is now an existential crisis for humanity. Forests around the world, from California to the Amazon, Siberia to Australia are enveloped by raging fires. Working-class communities in coastal cities such as Venice, Italy are seeing record levels of flooding that now call into question whether such cities or even parts of countries like Bangladesh will exist in the next decade.
This crisis was not created by humanity, but by the capitalist class, particularly the fossil fuel companies and the finance industry that props them up. Companies such as Shell, Exxon, BP, and others would not exist without funding from the finance capitalists on Wall Street and the London stock exchange. The world is now the hostage of around 100 companies who are responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988.
The majority of working people recognize there is a crisis. It is undeniable now with the rapidly degenerating environment and living conditions and the increasingly extreme weather events. However, there is a debate on what is to be done about climate change in the context of jobs. Many workers in the fossil fuel industry are concerned about losing the relatively good paying jobs that have supported their families, homes and communities. A question of choice is often posed — do you support good paying jobs now but leave your kids an uninhabitable planet, or watch the jobs disappear and the kids go hungry now? The question is a false choice. We want both good jobs and a healthy environment. The real question is how do we win them both?
Lack of Confidence and Leadership
It cannot be denied that there is a genuine question being put forward by workers in the fossil fuel industries. There is nothing inherently “good” about jobs in the mines, refineries, rigs and plants in the fossil fuel industry. To the contrary, those jobs are inherently dirty and dangerous. Workers in some countries made them good jobs by organizing strong unions and fighting. However, in many parts of the world they are still dirty and dangerous. Many union members in the past and present have gone through decades of struggle against fossil fuel executives. For example, in the United States, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) had a crucial role in fighting for workers. The UMW was involved in the Battle of Blair Mountain, an armed conflict in West Virginia in 1920 that involved thousands of striking mine workers resisting the National Guard and paid strikebreakers and thugs. Nearly 100 miners were killed. The benefits that many fossil fuel workers have are a result of intense class struggles with the bosses, in which many radical workers and community members gave their lives.
However, there is now a mood among many workers in fossil fuels to defend the fossil fuel companies and their owners. The fear of being laid-off or being fired from their jobs, with little to no other options for a well-paying union job, largely accounts for this mood. Many are skeptical of the claims of a “just transition” by capitalist corporations, correctly believing that there is no reason for the CEOs to hire them again with the same pay or benefits in an act of charity.
The looming economic crisis intensifies this complicated situation, with many countries now on the brink of a recession. Manufacturing sectors are now contracting with reduced outputs. The effects of this turndown will be forced onto the working class as companies slash wages, fire workers, and claw back benefits. The outlook of some fossil fuel workers can be crudely summed-up with the short-term view, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” As Lee Anderson, director of governmental affairs in the Utility Workers of America, said in an interview with the Intercept concerning the fossil fuel industry, “What we love is the things associated with them [fossil fuels], which is cheap and abundant energy and really good jobs that support the economy. It’s about combating emissions, saving jobs and the communities around those places that rely on those jobs. It’s about not driving people out of middle-class jobs that are almost impossible to replace. Why would we not support it?”
This lack of confidence by the union leaders means they do not provide the members with a broader vision that is not based in cozying up to the fossil fuel executives. This opens the door to corporations cynically talking about workers’ jobs and encouraging unions to join with the bosses to argue in favour of fossil fuels. Many union leaders in the United States, particularly the ones in the fossil fuel sector, have come out in support of opening new fossil fuel plants and expanding pipelines. In the United States, the Teamsters, a major union in logistics, supported building the Keystone XL pipeline. This pipeline came at the expense of the indigenous communities in the region and adds to climate change. Recently the pipeline leaked more than 300,000 gallons of oil. The continued failure of the union leadership to launch a fightback against the bosses has led to a loss of confidence by the rank and file.
In the U.S., the Blue-Green Alliance brings together major unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Service Employees International Union, and UMW along with large environmental non-profits like Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Action Fund. The group does represent a positive development that shows some union leaderships understanding that climate change is now part of their struggles in the workplace and non-profit green organizations now know they must have union support in order to change the economy. However, their approach to the question of jobs is to not directly challenge the fossil fuel industry. The alliance hardly mentions fossil fuel companies in their demands, and doesn’t call into question why the fossil fuel executives can get away with poisoning the planet. Instead, there are hopes to placate the fossil fuel industry and ensure its continued survival.
The Blue-Green Alliance supports implementing carbon capture technologies, that extract some of the carbon that is released when burning coal or refining oil and natural gas. It can, if 100% effective, make an individual facility carbon-neutral. However, it is not a magic bullet and some of the claims made are, dubious, at best. In addition, from a capitalist standpoint, there is no “market-incentive” for massive fossil fuel companies to actually use the technologies, as it costs from $94-$232 U.S. to capture a metric ton of carbon. This could lead to a situation where governments give out huge tax incentives and/or support public-private partnerships that have continuously failed. The only thing that carbon capture would do is allow for the fossil fuel industry to continue its existence and mass extraction of resources in the poorest regions of the world.
The Philadelphia Refinery Explosion — A Socialist Alternative
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery in Philadelphia was the oldest (established 150 years ago) and largest refinery on the U.S. east coast, producing 335,000 barrels of oil a day. It is situated in the midst of the city of Philadelphia. At least 120,000 people live within two kilometres of the refinery. On June 21, 2019 there were three large explosions that threw a 17 metric ton barrel 650 metres and shook houses in a wide area. The explosion released 1.5 metric tons of hydrofluoric acid, a dangerous chemical. The ensuing fire burned for 24 hours.
The refinery is known by residents for the horrendous health effects it causes, one of them being a high rate of asthma in children. The hydrofluoric acid presented a real danger to the population of a major city, as clouds of hydrofluoric acid could have descended onto the nearby working-class communities causing serious harm. A worse disaster was avoided only because of the prompt action of a worker, so that amazingly no one was killed or seriously injured by the explosion.
PES had filed for bankruptcy in early 2018 and had slashed workers’ benefits and scaled back capital projects to save cash. The fire was due to failed pipework that had not been inspected — a failure of maintenance.
Soon after the fire, the company went into bankruptcy and closed the plant to avoid paying any costs. 1,100 workers lost their jobs with two week’s notice and without health benefits or severance pay.
The union leadership of the United Steelworkers (USW) and other various smaller unions called for the refinery to be reopened. The community and various environmental non-profits called for the refinery to remain closed following the explosion. The more advanced section of the latter called for the site to be taken under city ownership via eminent domain, but not under explicit workers’ control. The city’s political establishment was forced by the situation to host a series of community meetings near the refinery, in Southwest Philadelphia, to discuss the future of the site. It was set up as a series of “stakeholder meetings,” strengthening the neo-liberal idea that the interests of the community are opposed to that of union members. This had the intended effect, as rank and file union members sat on one side of the meeting with the community members on the other side.
Race was also used as a dividing tool, as Southwest Philadelphia has a large African-American population. The majority of the union members are white. This played into the division as the union members viewed anti-refinery attacks as “race-baiting” and the community members were angry at the white union members who supported a refinery, and ignored the deadly effects on the community. These divisions are upheld by the capitalist class and their political lackeys.
Socialist Alternative in Philadelphia called for the citywide takeover of the refinery under the control of a democratically elected board of community members and union members. We argued to tax the rich to fund a major program to rebuild Philly’s infrastructure and fully shift the city to renewable power within a decade. This would be with union jobs and an apprenticeship program in conjunction with the unions for Phildelphia’s youth and workers.
There were real debates to be had on the process of closing down the factory; whether it would have been an immediate closing or a phase-out. Socialist Alternative supported a controlled, pro-worker transition with a phased closure of the refinery, re-training and new jobs at the same pay rates or early retirement on full pension for all the workers.
However, these disagreements would have never been solved as long as both community and workers bicker in front of a capitalist body that couldn’t care less about the demands of either group. We also called for PES and all major investors to completely pay for the cleanup. These demands had a resounding effect as union members and working-class community members approached Socialist Alternative members thanking them for raising these demands. Unfortunately, the city’s government, overwhelmingly Democrats, did not act and the site is now up for sale.
In the days before firing the workers, the PES executives paid themselves $4.5 million in bonuses. This demonstrates there is no common interest between workers and bosses in the fossil fuel industry, or any other. It also shows that the fossil fuel companies, even in the midst of exploding refineries, are not on the edge of financial ruin as they may claim.
Fossil Fuels Don’t Need Saving
Globally, there is an upsurge in fossil fuel companies’ profits. In the recent Forbes ranking of the top 50 most profitable publicly-listed companies, nine of them were from the fossil fuel sector. This included Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil. Rather than fossil fuels being on the downturn, they are now one of the most powerful sectors of the capitalists class. This is rooted in the massive extraction of resources especially in the neo-colonial world. It’s now estimated that Non-OECD countries (OECD being a formation of the richest countries in the world) will increase dependence on fossil fuels by 71% between 2012 and 2040.
Fossil fuel companies don’t need saving, in fact they are thriving while millions of workers and poor people are forced to breathe dirty air. The technology exists to tackle the impending ecological crisis. There must be a rapid and complete conversion of the energy sector of the world economy to one that is 100% renewable energy and carbon-negative. This ultimately means that the entire global economy, which is so dependent on fossil fuels, must be transformed to one that is not based on massive extraction and increasing profit margins. The capitalist class will never allow such a transformation to happen as it would mean an end to their corporate bonuses and spoils of class exploitation. What is needed then is a mass movement that is ready to directly challenge the fossil fuel industry and capitalism as a whole.
Only Socialism Points the Way Forward
Workers in the fossil fuel industry are crucial in fighting against capitalism and the fossil fuel companies. There must be solidarity shown to these workers with a relentless fight against the union bureaucracy and the fossil fuel executives. The worries of losing their livelihoods is a genuine concern. That’s why the only way to carry over the benefits of their previous jobs with additional ones such as clean air, would be on the basis of a planned economy led by the working class. This can only be won on the basis of a mass movement of the working class that calls for an immediate massive public work programs funded by taxing the rich.
One of the first steps in securing a planned economy and public work programs would be taking fossil fuel industries under public ownership, which is now being popularized in the U.S. by Bernie Sanders. Crucially public ownership needs to include democratic control and workers’ management. This will avoid the bureaucracy of many state-owned organizations and allow the full use of the skills and knowledge of the workers. Instead of begging for healthcare or high wages from rich executives who never worked a day in their lives, workers in the fossil fuel industries will be able to control their own workplaces and rapidly build toward a 100% global renewable economy.
What is also required is internationalism among the working class. The various connections between regions of the globe in energy production shows that what happens in one part of the globe can have ramifications thousands of miles away. If there was international coordination of mass protests and strike action against the fossil fuel industry, it would turn the tide in favor of the working class and a sustainable world.
There is no real choice between jobs and the environment. However, there is a choice as Rosa Luxemburg once said, of “Socialism or barbarism.” The fossil fuel companies and their capitalist allies will continue to block the road to a green, socialist world. The working class has the power to change society. It is vital that the environmental movement campaigns for policies to win workers to the battle for the climate. Unions need to fight for good jobs now, and for future generations, of a planet fit for human life. If unions and environmentalists unite for good jobs and clean energy system the bosses divide and rule tactics can be defeated.
It’s up to the forces of the working class and poor to mobilize to sweep both fossil fuels and capitalism into the dustbin of history.
Socialist Alternative campaigns for:
- A comprehensive campaign in unions and workplaces to remove the alleged conflict between “environment” and “jobs” and to show the conflict is between capital and labour.
- Environmental groups to fully recognize that capitalism is the barrier to transition and workers are the most powerful force to change society.
- Public ownership of all energy and fuel multinationals (electricity, mining, oil and gas, wind and solar energy companies, distribution systems, etc.), and a public investment plan to establish a 100% ecological and sustainable energy industry. No to energy poverty!
- The publicly-owned energy industries to be run democratically on a local and international level. As jobs are replaced, workers to receive training and have secure union jobs without loss of pay.
- Sustainable production, planned democratically by the working class, youth and poor people. For the socialist and ecological transformation of society.
