AI both takes and creates jobs.
That has led to divisions among unions over AI data centers. And it largely depends on the type of workers they represent.
The majority of the public is against AI data centers, according to polls. They’re concerned about environmental impacts, strain on the power grid, noise, or they just generally don’t like the idea of artificial intelligence.
Many communities have already taken action. A dozen cities in North Carolina have imposed moratoriums, and two have permanently banned the facilities. New York became the first state to adopt a treaty Moratorium on AI data centers in July.
Others are tightening restrictions. Texas Governor Greg Abbott initially showed enthusiasm for building AI data centers across the state, but recently imposed stricter restrictions on developers after backlash from residents. On Capitol Hill, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders have called for a nationwide moratorium.
AI companies, which rely on data centers to power their products, have tried to deflect such calls by highlighting potential benefits like tax windfalls and job creation (at least during the construction phase).
The jobs section resonates with the national unions representing electricians, plumbers and construction workers. However, unions representing workers who see AI as a threat to their jobs have taken the opposite position.
This is the position of some of the largest unions on this issue.
International Brotherhood of Electricians
In April, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told its 901,000 members to urge members of Congress to oppose bills that would ban the construction of data centers. The union provided its members with a digital toolkit that included a sample letter to send to lawmakers and instructions for social media posts.
“Such bans would eliminate critical opportunities for union workers and hinder much-needed economic growth in communities across the country,” the union said. “When built responsibly, data centers provide quality union jobs, significant tax revenue and long-term economic development.”
The IBEW said such projects provide its members with consistent employment, high wages and career opportunities.
Don Slaiman, political coordinator for IBEW Local 26, which covers DC, Maryland and Virginia, said in a recent op-ed in The New York Times that workers are already seeing the benefits of data center construction.
“Our apprentices’ starting pay is approximately $28 per hour. Experienced electricians make $62 per hour plus another $30 per hour in benefits. These are union careers, not gig work, and they are open to people who might not otherwise have a clear path to the middle class,” Slaiman said.
Some people in the electrical industry earn high wages six-figure salaries working in data centers.
Slaiman added, “Data centers represent the best opportunity in generations for workers to realize part of the American dream.”
Building North American Unions
Earlier this month, North America’s Building Trades Unions, which represents more than 3 million workers in the U.S. and Canada, also weighed in. NABTU President Sean McGarvey called AI data centers “critical infrastructure that supports America’s digital economy, data security and national security.”
In a press release, he praised Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for implementing new guardrails for data center developers without pausing or outright banning them.
“Government Shapiro’s approach shows that clear standards, transparency and accountability are the right and responsible path forward to ensure communities benefit, not the blanket moratoria imposed in other states,” McGarvey said.
International Labor Union of North America
A day later, the Laborers’ International Union of North America also praised Shapiro’s decision. The union represents more than 500,000 construction workers.
“Moratoriums on data center construction are not the answer,” CEO Brent Booker said in a press release.
United Association
United Association, a union representing about 407,000 workers in the plumbing and pipe fitting industries, has also pushed for more data centers to be built.
“Data centers are the essential infrastructure of the internet and everything we take for granted in our daily lives: cell phones, social media, Uber and Lyft, Netflix, smart TVs, online banking, ChatGPT and modern life as we know it,” the union said in a data center fact sheet posted on its website.
The union also criticized New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone’s decision to support a nationwide moratorium on new data center construction.
“For the United Association, data center expansion means stable jobs and the ability to provide for our families,” Mark McManus, the union’s general president, said in a letter to Pallone.
He added: “A knee-jerk moratorium based on misinformation is not the logical answer we need.”
National Nurses United
National Nurses United, which represents nearly 225,000 workers, says it supports Sanders’ push for a nationwide moratorium. The union said it would “put nurses, patients and working people in the driver’s seat.”
The union’s concerns are both about the impact data centers can have on communities and the broader impact of artificial intelligence on nursing jobs.
“The moratorium will give us time to build enforceable protections into the law to keep ourselves, our work and our democracy safe, and autonomy to decide how and whether we want AI to impact our lives,” the union said in its data center fact sheet.
The AFL CIO
During a June interview with Punchbowl News, Liz Shuler, the president of the nation’s largest federation of labor unions, the AFL-CIO, said the group opposed moratoriums but favored stricter regulations.
“We need the guardrails on AI, but we don’t think a moratorium is the way to get there,” Shuler said.
Other national unions
Many other major national unions, such as the Teamsters, United Auto Workers, the National Education Association and others, have yet to take a public position.
While they are still weighing the pros and cons of AI data centers, the federal government is moving full steam ahead. The Trump administration has broadly supported the expansion of infrastructure projects, accelerating federal permitting and backing the Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative led by OpenAI and SoftBank to build the facilities.
In July, the White House shared its AI action plan.
“Simply put, we must ‘Build, Baby, Build!’” the White House said.
