Because Labor Day is Workers’ Day.
This Labor Day, we’re celebrating the people who make things happen—the ones who show up early, stay late, and keep communities and industries running: the workforce. This includes the workers driving the future of American industry by building carbon management and industrial decarbonization projects.
Across the country, these projects are moving from concept to construction, and workers are at the center. It’s the skilled hands of tradespeople and union workers that will turn these projects into real opportunities, helping to decarbonize industry, develop and strengthen infrastructure, and secure the competitive future of American Industry.
From pipefitters laying CO pipelines to electricians wiring carbon capture systems, from construction laborers building new facilities to operators maintaining them—these are just a few of the many roles making carbon management possible. Each brings unique expertise that ensures quality, safety, and long-term success. That’s why today, we say thank you.
Here at the Carbon Action Alliance, we’ve worked alongside organized labor since our founding by connecting, collaborating, and showing up as a partner. This Labor Day, we asked several of our labor partners to share their perspectives directly.
We asked them: What does it mean to be part of a workforce that is building and supporting carbon management technology?
Here’s what they had to say:
“The men and women of the United Association are the best trained craftspeople in the plumbing and pipefitting industry – and when it comes to carbon management, we cannot settle for anything less. As part of the workforce that builds and supports carbon management technology, we are uniquely positioned to drive future innovation in the industry alongside our partners like the Carbon Action Alliance. We are incredibly proud of our work powering North America and the future of energy innovation, as our members go to work each day delivering clean, affordable, and reliable energy,”
General President of the United Association (UA), Mark McManus.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
“The IBEW and our members are proud to be part of the workforce that is building and supporting carbon management technologies and standing at the forefront of innovation while protecting good union jobs and creating opportunities for the next generation of workers. In supporting carbon capture and other advanced emissions reduction technology, our members are preserving critical energy assets and securing the economic future of their communities.”
IBEW International President, Kenneth W. Cooper
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA)
“The hard-working men and women of LiUNA have built and maintained North America’s energy infrastructure for generations. Today, carbon management technologies offer the opportunity for union members to put the same skills to work capturing, transporting, storing and utilizing CO2. With tools like carbon management, we can create and sustain family-supporting jobs while protecting our environment.”
LiUNA General President, Brent Booker.
Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA)
“Carbon capture utilization and storage holds tremendous promise for transforming energy deployment, especially if this technology can be operated and maintained by highly-trained individuals like Utility Workers Union of America members. We will continue to fight for our members to have a greater stake in this industry. It holds the potential to be a key technology, not only for the environment, but also for the opportunities it affords working people, their families and their communities.”
UWUA President, James Slevin
CAA is proud of uplifting their voices today, and we thank them, not just for what they build, but for the future they make possible.