The New York State Laborers’ Organizing Fund (NYSLOF), which represents more than 40,000 construction and other industry workers across the state, has joined the New York State Offshore Wind Alliance (NYOWA).
“We’re pleased to add our name to the respected list of members of the New York State Offshore Wind Alliance,” says John Hutchings, director of NYSLOF. “Partnering with our brother and sister unions, along with business leaders, community leaders, elected officials and some of the nation’s most respected environmental groups, we’re confident that we can make the vision of a clean energy economy come true.”
NYSLOF is organized into more than 36 local unions and five district councils across the state and has been involved in some of New York’s most important infrastructure projects, including the new Delta Airlines terminal at LaGuardia Airport and the new third track for the Long Island Railroad. It also participated in the “Fight for $15” campaign to raise New York’s minimum wage, also known as the “Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice.”
The announcement comes a week after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a bold plan to advance offshore wind in New York. The governor committed to procure at least 800 MW of offshore wind over the next two years, as well as a $15 million investment in clean energy workforce training and development.
Joe Martens, director of NYOWA, states, “Our coalition strongly supports Governor Cuomo’s offshore wind agenda and believes it will help New York win the fierce competition among states to become the hub of a new clean energy economy.”
A project of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY), NYOWA has a particular focus on Cuomo’s goal of creating 2.4 GW of offshore wind power by 2030. A full list of members can be found here.
