Responsible investments in the U.S.A.

There is a long and rich history of intentional responsible investments in the U.S.A. It is important that working people know about the role of labor unions in that history, as union members not only fought to win eight-hour workdays, work-free weekends, and paid vacations, and bargained for retirement benefits, but also pioneered many elements of the current global responsible investment movement. The modern shift toward targeted investments as a responsible investment mechanism started during the 1960s when civil rights and trade union leaders encouraged multiemployer pension funds to invest in affordable housing and community development. Labor union and political leaders also sought to encourage pension plans to reinvest in industries and regions that had suffered deindustrialization. Since the 1970s, labor unions and pension funds have been joined with the broader global efforts to address environmental pollution and risk, and have subsequently urged investments in environmental technologies and other transformative strategies.