Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, seeking to allay concerns that his plan to fight climate change would harm the economy, has promised a "Clean energy revolution that creates millions of unionized middle-class jobs" if he's elected.
Union representation, pay and benefits in the fast-growing wind and solar power industries at the center of a clean energy transition lag those in oil, gas and coal, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic studies and interviews with labor experts and industry officials.
Biden campaign spokesman Matt Hill said the candidate would work with labor leaders to "Ensure that clean energy investments are creating jobs with the opportunity to join a union across all energy sectors."
Compensation is likely to rise naturally as the renewable energy industry grows and faces pressure to attract more workers, Sunrun, the biggest U.S. rooftop solar company told investors in a recent regulatory filing.
The wage and benefit gaps, at least for now, pose a political challenge for Biden in winning the support of energy workers and lawmakers for an ambitious clean-energy transition.
The Solar Energy Industries Association, the industry's biggest trade group, told Reuters that it is "Ready and willing" to meet with union groups to address pay and labor representation.
Labor leaders also worry that clean-energy jobs will not be created in the same communities where fossil fuel jobs are lost - or even in the United States.
Friday, October 30, 2020
Biden's clean-energy 'revolution' faces challenge to match fossil-fuel jobs, pay
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