HARRISBURG, PA — Union Energy held its inaugural board meeting on December 4, 2024, in Harrisburg, where representatives from over a dozen unions, the PA AFL-CIO, and the PA Building and Construction Trades Council gathered to discuss the coalition’s goals for 2025.
Union Energy President Angela Ferritto emphasized the coalition’s mission to create good-paying union jobs in the growing clean energy sector. Reviewing achievements like the “Solar for Schools” legislation and other legislative successes, she highlighted how renewable energy projects can strengthen communities and support union labor. “We are reshaping what our communities think about when they hear the word ‘union,’” Ferritto said.
Secretary-Treasurer Rob Bair detailed the positive response to the coalition’s recent “Eight Days of Action” campaign, which included union apprenticeship factory tours. The PA Building and Construction Trades Council received over 300 inquiries from educators and students about joining apprenticeship programs. “Environment and union jobs do not have to be mutually exclusive,” Bair said. “We want to create opportunities, uplift more people, and make PA the number one job creating entity in the nation.”
The board also reviewed strategies from Cornell University’s “Pennsylvania Climate Jobs Plan,” aimed at creating equitable clean energy solutions. Discussions centered on expanding union membership, engaging industries in renewable energy, and capitalizing on Pennsylvania’s potential to host innovative projects like data centers.
Union Energy plans to strengthen public understanding of unions’ roles in clean energy, while building partnerships and advancing job opportunities statewide.
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