New report details the working conditions of New York's solar workers - North Country Public Radio

New report details the working conditions of New York's solar workers | NCPR News

New report details the working conditions of New York's solar workers
Catherine Wheeler (St. Lawrence Valley Reporter)

Solar energy development is becoming increasingly important in reaching New York state’s climate goals.

The state wants 70% of electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030, a target it’s likely to miss, according to a recent report from the state’s Department of Public Service.

As development at all levels quickly scales up, the industry needs more workers. But some are concerned about working conditions for those doing the construction.

St. Lawrence Valley reporter Catherine Wheeler spoke with two researchers about a new study that outlines disparities and concerns in the growing industry.

Catherine WheelerNew report details the working conditions of New York's solar workers

"Green jobs are kind of being sold as this equitable, just transition that people will go into and it's really like a life-changing career and that is not the case from what we're finding," said Avalon Hoek Spaans, assistant director of research at Cornell’s ILR Climate Jobs Institute. They’re one of the authors of a new report that examines the working conditions of people in the solar industry.

Hoek Spaans said we need to better understand how this industry is growing and what issues are arising, especially because there’s limited data about workers. Right now, it’s mostly coming from the private companies themselves.

The study is the first of its kind in New York state as it takes its data directly from the workers, Hoek Spaans said. Researchers sent out surveys and held an in-person event.

"We really try to embody this in some of the survey questions as really understanding where these workers come from," they said. "So for large-scale utility projects, we found that the majority of these workers are transient workers."

In fact, 65% of all respondents relocated or moved to work on a solar site in New York State, according to the report. Many worked across multiple states in places like California, Texas and Florida.

"We also had solar workers speak at our event and they spoke of what it was like being a transient worker living across the United States in their cars or Airbnbs or hotels or motels and kind of the strain that that puts on them," Hoek Spaans said.

They’re working on all types of sites, from community solar projects, to utility-scale developments, or installing rooftop panels.

"They come do work in New York. They leave. Some people stay in New York longer," Hoek Spaans said. "So I think that's a question we have to continue to ask ourselves. Like, who are these workers? What are their conditions? And what is it like actually on the ground?"

The results aren’t that reassuring.

The report found that the majority of respondents were non-union, full-time workers, who are employed directly by solar companies. More than half say they don’t have benefits, like health care.

Around a third of the respondents reported that they’re paid based on the number of panels they install.

"That's important because that can incentivize some negative work behaviors and also have negative outcomes on workers, which is something that has been seen in literature on other industries," Jillian Morley, one of the report’s authors, said.

That includes the prevalence of stimulants, like methamphetamines, on job sites to work more. More than half of workers said it’s a problem.

Researchers broke all of this data down to also look at the racial disparities between workers and their experiences. While the field is racially diverse, the report notes that Black solar workers were more likely to be paid in cash, experience wage theft, and have paid for their own certifications. Black and Hispanic solar workers were also less likely to have benefits than their white counterparts.

"I was glad to see that there was some diversity among the respondents. Unfortunately, that diversity was not met with equity," Morley said.

Disparities like this are found in any industry, Hoek Spaans said. New York’s clean energy industry is going to grow whether or not these problems are addressed.

But Hoek Spaans said to think about how much is going to have to change to adapt to climate change. The scale is massive.

It’s a huge opportunity to make sure solar energy jobs are the ones people want to have.

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"When the industry gets stronger and has really high labor standards, that's when you'll see communities really wanting these projects in their neighborhoods," Hoek Spaans said, "but also people really getting excited to join the industry and stay in the industry and really talk about these as good family-sustaining jobs that rebuild the middle class in America."

The researchers say they’re about to wrap up a sister study to New York’s report based in Texas. They’re finding similar results, which could lead to more questions about the industry as a whole. But they note they have limited data and they’ll have to investigate further.

NCPR's climate change series is made possible through the generous support of Margot and John Ernst.