These are very good, very high paying ($80K to $240K per year plus gold-plated pension/medical/vacation time etc. benefits) jobs and the trades unions are not playing around.
From the Wall Street Journal, August 28:
Trade unions threaten to withhold support for politicians, joining the building backlash
Much of the public outcry over data-center construction has centered on electricity costs, water consumption and noise. Now, a new battlefront is opening up over jobs, too.
Call it the backlash to the backlash: Nationwide resistance to the construction has grown so broad that politicians on both sides of the aisle have halted approvals or tightened oversight as midterm elections approach. Unions and construction trade groups are now entering the fray from the other side, warning that such actions endanger thousands of building-related jobs. They are threatening to withhold support of candidates opposing the data-center projects.
In some cases, these groups are breaking with longtime political allies to support those who back construction. In a memo circulated to members and viewed by The Wall Street Journal, the Steamfitters UA Local 602, whose members install mechanical piping systems in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., wrote that it is drawing a “clear line” and won’t support politicians who oppose the facilities. “This is an existential moment for Local 602,” it said.
In Kansas, a union representing HVAC and railroad workers broke from decades of precedent to endorse Republican state Sen. Ty Masterson for governor, in part because of the Democratic candidate’s opposition to the construction. In some cases, the unions are working alongside companies building data centers and running artificial-intelligence models in their advocacy.
Sidney Bonilla, treasurer and business manager of Steamfitters UA Local 602, said his members knock on doors for candidates and help finance campaigns. Though the union has historically tended to back Democrats, Bonilla said those dollars and organizational support are on the line.
The union will scrutinize politicians’ records on the data-center issue before offering support, he said, and he expects other unions to follow suit. “We are dependent on these jobs,” he said.
The union support is a welcome development for data-center companies, which are now contending with a slowdown in approvals for new construction. The build-out is key for AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic to support more powerful models and meet growth targets, and it has become a major economic driver.
All of that has made for tricky political terrain ahead of midterm elections. In Wisconsin, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley, the son of an electrician, has won support from some building trade unions and been attacked by Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany for being in the pocket of labor groups and the companies building data centers. Crowley has supported some restrictions on data centers but stopped short of backing a ban or pause.
In other races, Democrats have criticized their opponents for supporting the data-center boom. Some Republicans are adopting the tactic, even if they previously supported the facilities and their economic benefits.
“You’re not a friend if you’re taking away great career opportunities,” said Don Slaiman, political coordinator of IBEW Local 26, a union representing electricians in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. Many of the jobs pay good wages with benefits, he said. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to really get in the upper-middle class.”....
....MUCH MORE
Meanwhile, Axios (among others) is reporting (August 28):
China is secretly fueling America's data center rage
I don't know if that is true, a lot of the pressure groups and their funders say it's not, but to paraphrase a paraphrase from a July post:
As
I know. It's a paraphrase/misquote. But work with me here. And have some Clausewitz for being so patient:Chips areAI is just war by other means.
The Softer Side Of Clausewitz
