A new coalition of community organizations and environmental experts is calling on Micron to ensure Central New Yorkers see a return on the 20 billion dollars in taxpayer subsidies for the project.
The new coalition is called Central New York United for Community Benefits, and they want Micron to commit to a legally enforceable agreement that holds them to environmental and workforce standards.
Mohammad Thiam (chahm) is with the Urban Jobs Task Force.
“We are fighting to ensure that this investment doesn't repeat the exclusionary patterns of the past," he said. "We are advocating for a strong enforceable agreement that prioritize local hiring, equitable workforce pipeline, paid training, especially for our residents from historically marginalized neighborhoods.”
He adds black and brown residents, immigrants, minority-owned businesses and others should have equal access to this unprecedented economic opportunity.
At the same time, the coalition is seeking stringent worker protections. Mbonimpa Bonibas used to work for another semiconductor firm called NextGen before getting laid off.
“We have to make sure that there is safe working conditions for workers," he said. "Also, current OSHA safety standards that Micron has committed to are outdated and inadequate.”
He says toxic chemical exposure at other semi-conductor facilities has led to reproductive and birth defects. But precisely what chemicals Micron will use is not entirely clear. They’re typically PFAS and other so-called forever compounds. Don Hughes has a doctorate in Chemistry from SUNY ESF, and worries about the impact on air and water.
“Micron, like other chips manufacturers, has not been transparent about all the chemicals they're going to be using, and they often invoke proprietary claims for not disclosing the chemicals," he said.
He said that makes it difficult to know just what’s in the industrial wastewater generated by the massive chip fabs.
The coalition is calling for minimizing the use of chemicals to protect water, air, and soil. The groups sent a letter to Micron Wednesday to start negotiating a community benefits agreement.
Below is a list of the groups in the coalition:
ACTS-Alliance of Communities Transcending Syracuse
Alliance for a Green Economy
ALIGN
Central New York Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
CHIPS Communities United
Clean+Healthy
Climate Change Awareness and Action
CNY Solidarity Coalition
Earthjustice
Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now Inc.
GreeningUSA
Izaak Walton League CNY Chapter
JHP INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CO,INC
Jobs to Move America
Moving People Transportation Coalition
NY Renews
United University Professions
Urban Jobs Task Force of Syracuse
Satter Ruhlen Law Firm, PLLC
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
SustainCNY
Syracuse Cultural Workers
Syracuse Chapter of NAACP
Syracuse Peace Council
Sterling Water Stewards
Workers Center of Central NY
