Our regional grid operator, ISO New England, is holding the third annual Open Meeting of its Board of Directors today at the Seaport Hotel. Normally, this would be an opportunity to hear valuable public comment from affected community leaders, environmental advocates, residential ratepayers, and other impacted groups.  However, this year, ISO New England is holding the annual meeting at a hotel where workers, with the support of UNITE HERE Local 26, have called for a boycott due to a long-running labor dispute. As a result, environmental groups that usually participate have refused to attend the meeting, either in person or virtually.

“Countless groups have been pushing ISO New England for increased transparency and accessibility, particularly for residents who are most impacted by our energy system,” says Fix the Grid Campaign Facilitator Mireille Bejjani. “Our grid operator can’t claim that it’s making progress in this area by opening up one board meeting per year to the public, but then hold that meeting in a venue that is under union boycott. That meeting inherently becomes inaccessible to anyone who supports workers, as we do.”

The Fix the Grid Campaign, the No Coal No Gas Campaign, and others have requested that ISO New England hold this meeting at a different location where all stakeholders could effectively participate without disrespecting the rights of the workers and their union. Those requests were dismissed.

“It is offensive that ISO New England would use our ratepayer dollars to hold any meeting in ways that harm workers,” says No Coal No Gas campaign organizer, Marla Marcum. “This choice is just one more instance of blatant disrespect for non-corporate stakeholder concerns. Business-as-usual is the blueprint for the economic, environmental justice, and climate harms of today. We will continue to push for solutions - like vigorous demand response programs - that reduce costs and support thriving, sustainable, and equitable systems.”

This choice to disregard public impact follows ISO New England’s general pattern of opaque operations and insufficient commitment to broad stakeholder accountability. Fix the Grid members have been advocating for several governance reforms to break open what they describe as a “black box of decision-making.” Many environmental and public interest groups from around the region signed onto a statement that the Fix the Grid Campaign delivered to the ISO New England board in writing, outlining the specific steps they would like to see the grid operator take. 

ISO New England only hosts one public board meeting per year, providing limited opportunities for residents and ratepayers to deliver direct feedback to board members whose salaries are funded by ratepayers. To avoid future conflicts, Fix the Grid and No Coal No Gas are calling on ISO New England to adopt the criterion that no event be hosted at a venue that has been flagged for a labor dispute by FairHotel.org. In addition, every contract with an event space should include the stipulation that, should a labor dispute arise, ISO New England is permitted to break the contract without penalty. 

“It has never been more important for Labor and Climate activists to collaborate and combine efforts to tackle our global crisis,” added Beth Kontos, the Vice President of the North Shore Labor Council, MA AFL-CIO.  “The reliability of the grid is important to all users and ratepayers.  Testifying at the annual meeting is important but we must stand in solidarity with the workers of UNITE HERE Local 26.” 

The energy transition is a wide-ranging effort that requires collaboration and mutual accountability. It is necessary for the climate justice movement, the labor movement, and the clean energy industry to move in lockstep to ensure a rapid and just transition. ISO New England leads the region’s grid planning and market design, making the grid operator responsible for facilitating, rather than hindering, this vital coordination.