Photo by Erin Bloodgood
Pam Fendt
Pam Fendt
Milwaukee and the United States are both at a pivotal moment for addressing the climate crisis. In late June, Milwaukee passed its Climate and Equity Plan and last year, the Biden Administration signed multiple laws as part of its Clean Energy Plan to bring historic investments to state and local governments—but unions are crucial to that success.
Pam Fendt, President of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO, is at the center of much of the work being done to advocate for good paying union jobs here in Milwaukee. From the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Inflation Reduction to the CHIPS and Science Act, “all of these things have job creation possibilities that are really a once in a generation type of thing,” said Fendt.
In her fourth term as president, she advocates for and works with workers of 90 to 100 local unions in the metro areas of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties. She also served on the task force that laid out Milwaukee’s Climate and Equity Plan and is making sure union jobs are part of the implementation of these climate investments. She explains that union contracts guarantee equal pay for workers, safety on job sites, and tend to create much fewer race and gender discrepancies in workplaces.
Before serving in a leadership role, Fendt was a researcher for a labor union for 13 years and has seen how the rise and fall of unions in Milwaukee—and across the country—has drastically changed neighborhoods.
Legacy of Unions
Milwaukee has a legacy of being a manufacturing and union hub. In its peak—roughly the 1950s and ‘60s—the city had booming industry, with factories like American Motors and AO Smith sustaining neighborhoods like Riverwest, Harambee and the North Side. But when those companies left, and the good-paying working-class jobs disappeared, incomes dried up and devastated those neighborhoods.
With these new climate investments, Fendt sees an opportunity to revitalize some of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and give working-class people a chance to rebuild. “We’ve got the muscle memory to be able to pick some of these things back up and start making things for the clean energy economy,” she said.
We are already starting to see some of these clean energy union jobs coming back to Milwaukee with companies like Ingeteam that makes wind turbines and solar panels in the Menominee Valley. More projects and industry are on the horizon.
These new federal laws have provisions written in for new projects that require union jobs, USA-made products, and apprenticeship programs that will train a new workforce. That means there are significant tax incentives and funding opportunities for companies to build and expand here in Wisconsin. With the plans in place, Fendt says her and her union colleagues are focused on the implementation. As Milwaukee gets investments for electric buses, electric vehicle charging stations, solar farms, and more, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council is working closely with government officials, business leaders, and contractors to ensure workers are protected and are paid well.
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Fendt is focused on the long-term solutions, not short-term fixes. That means training new people interested in trade jobs (particularly women and people of color), investing in neighborhoods that relied on manufacturing jobs and have been subjected to pollution, and making sure these jobs are here to stay. “I really think that implemented correctly, these investments could help bring a renaissance and we could see some great growth, opportunity, and prosperity for Milwaukee,” said Fendt.
Learn more about the Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO at milwaukeelabor.org.
