"Trade unions have a centuries-long history of squaring up against the might of industrial capitalists to fight for rights that workers now often take for granted, from the eight-hour work day to the federal minimum wage to workplace safety laws."
"If you were to imagine how unions are responding to the tech industry's massive push to build AI data centers across the country - an issue that's currently uniting the grassroots left and right to an almost unprecedented degree in opposition - you might reasonably assume they're staunch foes of the projects. But in the topsy-turvy world of AI, where alliances often seem to contradict traditional political categorization, you'd be dead wrong. Instead, unions are playing a pivotal role in the tech industry's push to ram data centers through local opposition."
"The core factor underscoring this contradictory stance is construction employment. When data center developers approach communities in search of land to erect their computational complexes, one of the main carrots they wave around are jobs, both temporary construction labor and permanent full-time labor. At this point, we know that data centers aren't a major source for quality, full-time jobs after they're built. They do require tons of contract construction gigs, however, which generates short-term work for building trades workers, and growth for their craft unions."
""When people say, you know, 'data centers are the root of all evil,' we're just saying, 'look, they do create a hell of a lot of construction jobs, which we live and work in your communities,'" president of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council Rob Bair told the AP."
Trade unions historically fought industrial capitalists for worker rights such as the eight-hour day, minimum wage, and workplace safety. AI data center projects face broad local opposition, yet unions are playing a visible role in pushing projects forward. Unions align with pro-business Republicans and big tech corporations, despite traditional anti-labor associations. The main driver is construction employment: developers offer temporary construction work and some permanent jobs when seeking land and community approval. Data centers are not a major source of quality full-time employment after completion, but they generate extensive contract construction work. This creates short-term opportunities for building trades workers and supports growth for craft unions, leading unions to emphasize local construction jobs over broader objections.
Read at Futurism
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