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The Fight for Jobs and Environmental Justice December 10, 2001
See Also: History of the campaign, facts, and press coverage Oakland Tribune Dec. 8, 2001 front page story Fact Sheet on Stericycle, the company that bought IES (by Health Care Without Harm).
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Lessons and Next Steps in the Campaign Against the IES Incinerators Today the controversial incinerators operated by Integrated Environmental Systems in Oakland, California closed. After years of protests by a broad coalition of local residents, community, health, labor, religious, youth and environmental justice groups, the incinerators' toxic emissions into the air of this low-income community of color have ended. The community is rejoicing over the end of incineration, as the air will now be cleaner and healthier. IES has been sold to industry giant Stericycle, who apparently will close the plant, acquire IES' customers, and treat the waste at non-incineration autoclave facilities around the state. Stericycle may also try to ship some of the waste to commercial incinerators they operate in Arizona and Utah, a move Greenaction and the coalition will oppose. We believes California waste should be treated in California, using non-incineration technologies at facilities with good-paying union jobs. The victory will be even greater if IES workers who are losing their jobs are rehired immediately by Stericycle and IES' parent company Norcal. Stericycle will clearly have substantial new work and contracts in the area, and Norcal has other operations in the Bay Area. We believe that strong alliances between communities, environmental groups and workers can protect jobs, health and the environment. As we know that the loss of jobs at IES is not the fault of the union or the coalition - it is IES and Stericycle that are responsible for job loss - we must and will fight for displaced workers to be hired by Stericycle and Norcal. Our coalition had never called for the closure of IES: instead we called on the company to replace the incinerators with safer non-incineration technologies that could safely treat the waste, while protecting the union jobs at the plant. Our coalition repeatedly expressed a willingness to allow IES time to phase out incineration and transition to safer technologies. Our solution would have protected community health, and the union jobs at the plant. Unfortunately, IES management wanted it all. To the end, IES management expressed their desire to keep incinerating, despite the emissions of some of the most toxic chemicals known to science. The IES incinerators were also plagued by never-ending serious permit violations including excess emissions and uncontrolled bypasses of the pollution control equipment. IES was also guilty of OSHA worker safety violations, threatening the health of IES workers. It was clear that the incinerators had to be closed immediately, but IES thought they could continue burning wastes and emitting toxic poisons into the air of the community. Our communities need jobs - union jobs, that are good paying, safe and healthy for the workers and community. We know corporate polluters care only about profits, not about workers, the community or the environment. To win and protect good union jobs, we need cooperation and solidarity between the unions and the community. We need our union brothers and sisters to speak out for a clean and healthy environment, and the environmental movement must take a stand to support union and worker struggles for good wages and working conditions. Unions and the environmental movement must unite to successfully challenge corporate polluters to protect jobs, community and worker health, and our environment. Greenaction and the Coalition for Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice are committed to pressuring Stericycle and Norcal to hire IES workers. While we celebrate the victory against the incinerators, we must and will continue our efforts to win a victory for workers' jobs as well. |