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Austin Rally for the People’s Utility Platform
September 24, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ahead of the vote on Austin Energy’s proposed residential rate hike that could raise the rates on Austins already-struggling working class by hundreds of dollars per year, organized labor, climate, and environmental justice groups are standing together to demand a platform for economic and environmental justice from Austin Energy. The co-sponsoring groups believe that our municipally-owned utility should use their public dollars to act in the public good. It is unacceptable that Austin Energy wants to raise rates for working families, creates low-wage construction jobs with no safety training, and furthers the rich-poor divide on clean energy access.Join us to demand that Austin Energy adopt the Peoples Utility Platform for economic and environmental justice.
The co-sponsoring groups believe that our municipally-owned utility should use their public dollars to act in the public good. It is unacceptable that Austin Energy wants to raise rates for working families, creates low-wage construction jobs with no safety training, and furthers the rich-poor divide on clean energy access.
Join us to demand that Austin Energy adopt the People’s Utility Platform for economic and environmental justice. This coalition calls on Austin Energy to:
STOP THE RATE HIKES. With rapidly rising costs, working families are already struggling. It is unacceptable to raise residents’ electric bills by hundreds of dollars per year, targeting the lowest income users and lowest energy users.
END EXPLOITATIVE CONDITIONS in Austin Energy power purchase agreements by committing to wage, safety and training standards that keep construction workers safe. A publicly-owned utility should be creating safe, family-sustaining jobs, especially in a state like Texas where a construction worker loses their life, on average, once every 3 days due to unsafe working conditions.
EXPAND THE USE OF CLEAN ENERGY and increase access to community solar and energy efficiency for renters and low-income households. Large-scale and local clean energy keeps our bills low and makes the grid more resilient.
Who: Texas Climate Jobs Action; Central Texas Building Trades; Texas AFL-CIO; AustinCentral Labor Council; IBEW Local 520; People Organized in Defense of Earth and herResources (PODER); Sierra Club- Lone Star Chapter; Sunrise Movement ATX; and local political/community leaders.