Real warehouse job killer isn’t zero emissions, it’s automation

If local leaders are really concerned about killing warehouse jobs, they should be worried about automation, not zero emissions.

Warehouse operators in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties have promised jobs, and currently we’re seeing some of these positions be filled by automation. Enforcing rules on industry isn’t driving away business. Industry is driving away business because it’s protecting its bottom line, instead of community health.

Environmental justice communities are pushing the Indirect Source Rule at South Coast Air Quality Management District meetings to push industry to take a first direct step towards cleaner air and better jobs for working class families.

The current model of business that exists in our region clearly isn’t working. Our jobs don’t pay liveable wages, our working conditions are unbearable, and our air is unbreathable.  It’s time for leaders to look outside the toxic cluster of fossil fuels and push for a more sustainable future.

Miguel Rivera is a resident of Muscoy and volunteer with the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice and Sierra Club My Generation