Greening Auto Jobs: A Critical Analysis of the Green Job Solution details current and problematic understandings of what constitutes a "green job." Adopting an approach grounded in critical political economy, this book presents a framework to scrutinize the green job solution and the theoretical framework which overwhelmingly informs contemporary green job creation efforts and ecological modernization. The text also explores the tensions that encircle the world of work and environmental action, often referred to as "jobs versus the environment," by detailing the conflicting commitments of political-economic actors to the idea of green job creation. These conflicts are outlined through an examination of the political-economic debate that has surrounded the Australian Government's environmental plans from 2008 to 2012 and the conflicting positions of Australian trade unions on environmentally transitioning the world of work. Interviews with key political-economic actors provide in-depth and nuanced understandings of the varied perspectives of political and union leaders in Australia. The second part of the book presents a detailed case study of the posited green job solution within the specific context of the Australian automotive manufacturing industry. The case study is also informed by interviews with key industry, union, and policymakers. The automotive industry is scrutinized not only because it has expressed going green as important to its long-term economic future, but because the Australian Government declared that its $6.2 billion "New Car Plan for a Greener Future" policy would create green jobs. Therefore, the book engages with the task of examining the three multinational vehicle producers operating in Australia-Ford, GM Holden, and Toyota-and how they have responded and engaged with the idea of green jobs, greening the manufacturing process, and the vehicles they produce in Australia.
Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Appendixes List of Abbreviations Abstract Preface and Acknowledgments Chapter One - Introduction: Why Green Jobs Matter Chapter Two - What is a Green Job? Green Job Definitions The Theoretical Foundation of Green Jobs A Critique of Ecological Modernization Ways of Understanding the Capitalist System and the Green Shift A Marxist Understanding of Green Jobs Conclusion Chapter Three - Green Jobs as an Environmental and Economic Battleground Green Jobs in Australia, a Blurred Vision Recent Green Job Manoeuvres 2007-2011 The Narrative of Jobs as a Battleground in Australia Conclusion Chapter Four - The Response of Some Key Australian Unions to Green Jobs Unions and Just Transition What Do Unions Do? Australian Unions and a Green Jobs Agenda What Do International Unions Do? What Can Unions Do? Conclusion Chapter Five - The Automotive Industry: Setting the Scene An Overview of the Current Global Automotive Industry Landscape The Political Economy and Cultural Dominance of the Car: within the Global Context Car Nation The Labor Process: Automobile Production and Its Workers Conclusion Chapter Six - Crisis in the Global Automotive Industry and the Green Shift Crisis The Political Economic Shift of Auto: From Environmental Opposition to Ecological Modernization The Green Possibilities of the Three Parent Companies The State and Labor Unions Embrace a Green Shift Conclusion Chapter Seven - Green Cars, Green Jobs: The Australian Government's Green Car Plan Green Car Policy from Opposition Green Car Policy in Government Policy in Action The Never-Ending Crisis Conclusion Chapter Eight - Analyzing the Green Shift: The Three Vehicle Manufacturers Operating in Australia Understanding Green Jobs Government Policy, Industry and the Environment Green Shifts and Manoeuvres Outside Australia's Control Conclusion Chapter Nine - Conclusion Key Findings Implications and Future Research Possibilities Appendixes Bibliography End Notes
