Overview:
-In Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, the IBEW Local 58 has turned its union hall into a beacon of clean energy, slashing energy use by 76% with cutting-edge technologies.
-Federal clean energy investments create good union jobs in Michigan, says IBEW Local 58 business manager Jim Soosik.
-These gains are at risk as Congress debates cuts to these vital investments, threatening Michigan's clean energy future and the livelihoods of its workers, Soosik writes.
Nestled just outside downtown Detroit in the Corktown neighborhood resides one of my favorite places: the union hall for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 58. Since 1914, the members of this local have served as a positive force in our neighborhood, within the city itself, throughout the metro Detroit region, and across the broader state of Michigan.
We’ve opened our doors to host community meetings, town halls, forums, and charities. With close to 5,000 members, we aim to empower working people across Southeast Michigan in everything we do.
That’s why we, as a union, decided to turn our 33,000-square-foot union hall into a pinnacle of energy efficiency and cost savings.
Our renovation efforts got rolling almost a decade ago, and since then we have installed state-of-art clean energy technologies, like a geothermal grid, heat pumps, solar panels, LED lights, and energy efficient windows. Since the renovation, energy use has decreased 76% and our annual electric bill has dropped by nearly $57,000. We turned our union hall into the Zero Net Energy Center to serve as a blueprint of possibility in our community. We wanted to show our neighbors and fellow working people that taking action to protect our environment can also help our bottom line.
In 2022, Congress passed legislation that added a tool to our toolbox to make our vision of a better future even more possible: federal clean energy investments.
These federal clean energy investments are helping new projects pop up across Michigan and creating good union jobs, just like our zero net energy union hall. From installing solar energy and battery storage, to upgrading infrastructure and expanding the electric vehicle market, IBEW and other union members are building our state’s future. Detroit and all of Michigan deserve good union jobs, and deserve them now. Federal clean energy investments in the form of federal tax credits are bringing these types of jobs back to our state.
I know firsthand the importance of investing in good union jobs. In 1999, I was working in a wood shop and going to community college, feeling uncertain about my future. Then one Saturday night, my brother told me about working as a union electrician in the IBEW. That very next day, I applied to the union’s apprenticeship program.
After the first year, I was able to buy my own house. Years later, when I was in the hospital for three weeks due to pneumonia, I wasn’t buried in medical debt because of my health care benefits. And soon, the pension I have earned will allow me to retire with dignity and comfort.
My phone is full of numbers belonging to fellow electricians that I can reach out to in times of hardship and joy. My union, IBEW Local 58, is my family. This life — my life — is possible because I’m a union member, and I want every single person in Michigan to have access to a union job and the high quality of life they bring.
But, this type of union job that has afforded me and so many others this high quality of life is at risk because Congress is currently considering gutting these federal clean energy investments, which could pull the plug on many clean energy projects, good union jobs, and a better future for working people in our state.
Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. John James signed onto a letter to support these federal tax credits. His support is critical, and it’s imperative that he continue to support the working families he represents in Macomb and Oakland counties, where many of our IBEW members live and work. We need him to follow through in fighting to protect all of the clean energy investments that are powering Michigan forward.
We made the changes we did to our union hall because we care about our community and want to be leaders in addressing the climate crisis. These federal clean energy incentives were set to make these improvements affordable, and now the future of these important federal policy tools remain uncertain.
If we want to create more clean energy projects and family-supporting jobs in our communities, we need all of our federal representatives, including U.S. Rep. James, to protect these investments. We can create a strong, local economy powered by union careers like the one I was fortunate enough to start over 25 years ago — and we can get there faster through federal clean energy investments.
Jim Soosik is the business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 58.
Planet Detroit’s Voices column includes opinion pieces from our community of partners and readers. These pieces express the voices of the authors and not necessarily those of the publication.