Exclusive: The National Nurses United a member of the AFL-CIO, strongly rebuked the AFL’s decision to endorse the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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Story Transcript

JAISAL NOOR, TRNN: A move by the nation’s largest federation of union’s the AFL-CIO to endorse the controversial 3.4 billion dollar Dakota Access Pipeline has spurred a firestorm of criticism including by some unions in the AFL’s ranks.

FERNANDO LOSADA: We’re deeply disappointed in our labor federation siding with those that would endanger and harm the land, the water, the lives of the people on the pipeline path and the health of the planet itself in the name of profits and a fossil fuel industry and a drive to extract fossil fuel that is unattainable for the future of the planet.

NOOR: We weren’t able to interview the AFL-CIO but their statement read they felt it’s important for the Standing Rock Sioux that have led the opposition to the project to have input but quote “It is fundamentally unfair to hold union members’ livelihoods and their families’ financial security hostage to endless delay. The Dakota Access Pipeline is providing over 4,500 high-quality, family supporting jobs”. The statement continued trying to make climate policy by attacking individual construction projects is neither effective nor fair to the workers involved.

LOSADA: It’s untenable. We need to as a nation, as a planet, we need to move to clean renewable energy. The position of some elements in the AFL-CIO which led to this declaration is a narrow position in the alleged interests of their members for some short term jobs.

NOOR: Neither Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump have addressed the pipeline’s construction but reports have documented the campaign’s ties to the project and to the fossil fuel industry.

LOSADA: The problem is the industry itself that profits and whose sole interest is in exploiting petroleum reserves in the name of profit with no regard to the future well-being of humans or any life on this planet. The mainstream political parties are invested in the fossil fuel industry and are supported by it. So it’s understandable they and many of their cohorts in congress will take that position. That’s what we’ve been up against. A lot of money in this energy industrial complex that maintains the status quo. Bernie Sanders was in DC speaking against this pipeline. He’s spoken out against other. We were right there with them. The National Nurses United and other unions as well. We understand that this is a dire threat to the working people and of course there are no jobs on a dead planet and it’s a threat to all life.

NOOR: Go to the RealNews.com for ongoing coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline and donate today to support our work. This is Jaisal Noor.

End

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