We are assisting David Brower of the Earth Island Institute and David Foster, President of District 11 of the United
Steelworkers of America, in recruiting groups and individuals who will sign their name to the attached "Houston
Principles of the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment."
The purpose of the Houston Principles is to reaffirm publicly the commitment of both the labor
and environmental movements to "forge a partnership that protects people and the planet." I was present
in Houston when environmentalists and Steelworkers together took our message to the public in protest of the shortsighted
management policies of the Maxxam Company that threaten both Redwood forests in northern California, and locked
out Kaiser workers in Washington State. It is in the spirit of that cooperation that these principles, and the
idea of an Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment was born.
Please fax or email your endorsement of these principles to Dara Colwell at (415) 255-1948 or mailto: dara@communicationworks.org
Your endorsement by this Friday, July 30, would be much appreciated.
Be advised that the founding meeting of the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment is planned for August
28-29 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please let Ms Colwell know if you desire more information on this kickoff.
Houston Principles
of the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs
and the Environment
Preamble
On May 19, 1999, environmental and labor leaders confronted CEO Charles Hurwitz in Houston to demand that his Maxxam
Corporation, which owns Kaiser Aluminum and Pacific Lumber Company, be held accountable for its impact on working
people, communities and the environment.
By clear-cutting ancient redwoods in Northern California, and by locking-out striking steelworkers in five cities,
the Maxxam corporation has become an icon of corporate irresponsibility.
Recognizing that we have a common interest in making corporations more accountable for their
behavior world-wide, environmental and labor leaders have formed the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment
and circulated the following statement, dubbed the "Houston Principles".
Whereas:
* The spectacular accumulation of wealth by corporations and America's most affluent during the past two decades
has come with a huge price tag.
* Corporations have become more powerful than the government entities designed to regulate them.
* The goal of a giant, global corporation is to maximize wealth and to wield political power on its own behalf.
Too often, corporate leaders regard working people, communities, and the natural world as resources to be used
and thrown away.
* Recognizing the tremendous stakes, labor unions and environmental advocates are beginning to recognize our common
ground. Together we can challenge illegitimate corporate authority over our country's and communities' governing
decisions.
* While we may not agree on everything, we are determined to accelerate our efforts to make alliances as often
as possible. We believe that:
* A healthy future for the economy and the environment requires a dynamic alliance between labor, management, and
environmental advocates.
* The same forces that threaten economic and biological sustainability undermine the democratic process.
* The drive for short-term profits without regard for long-term sustainability hurts working people, communities,
and the earth.
* Labor, environmental and community groups need to take action to organize as a counter-balance to abusive corporate
power.
The environmental and labor advocates who have signed these principles resolve to work together to:
* Remind the public that the original purpose behind the creation of corporations was to serve the public interest
- namely working people, communities, and the earth.
* Seek stricter enforcement of labor laws and advocate for new laws to guarantee working people their right to
form unions and their right to bargain collectively.
* Make workplaces, communities and the planet safer by reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
* Demand that global trade agreements include enforceable labor and environmental standards.
* Promote forward-thinking business models that allow for sustainability over the long term while protecting working
people, communities, and the environment.
This ground-breaking alliance of labor and environmentalists invites all people to join with us in a spirit of
creative cooperation. Together, we can forge a partnership that protects people and the planet.
Signed:
* Leading labor unions, leaders and thinkers
* Leading environmental organizations, leaders and thinkers.
American Lands 726 7th Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
wafcdc@americanlands.org http://www.americanlands.org Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send a message to
wafcdc@americanlands.org along with your complete contact
information (name, org, address & phone #)
