Michigan labor leaders launched Michigan Climate Jobs (MICJ) today, a union alliance centered around professions and projects in the clean energy sector. Michigan is the third state to announce the establishment of such an alliance, guided by the principles outlined in a report by Cornell University's Climate Employment Institute.

Ryan Bennett, President of MICJ and Michigan Pipeline Trade Association, said, "Today, we are launching the Michigan Climate Jobs Program to ensure a worker led clean energy future, where labor plays a leading role in addressing the climate crisis, providing affordable and reliable energy, and protecting workers for today and future generations." "The jobs needed to create a clean energy economy must absolutely be union work, because only union work can provide workers with wages, good benefits, and safety to sustain their families

MICJ's union partners represent groups in the fields of construction, electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, engineering, and education. The mission of this alliance is to follow the plans and policies outlined in the Michigan Climate Jobs Blueprint for a Fair and Clean Energy Future by the Climate Jobs Institute. These principles include decarbonizing public infrastructure, upgrading the national energy network, and establishing more union professions and apprenticeship positions.

Clean energy work is our future, and equally important, the jobs they create are also our future. These projects not only produce energy, but also create long-term, skilled jobs that allow people like me to make a living, stay in our community, and live a dignified and safe life. When these projects are built by union skilled workers, they are completed safely and professionally, and in a way that creates real opportunities for the next generation, "said Natalya Craig, a skilled worker and graduate operations engineer at 324 Apprentice.

Michigan established a new clean energy employment alliance ahead of New Jersey and Oregon.