Solidarity Sunday: The Data Center Tightrope
On the heels of America celebrating its 250th birthday yesterday, commentators across the country spent the holiday reflecting on the last two and a half centuries while speculating about what comes next. If they're right that every era is defined by the infrastructure it leaves behind, the next chapter of American history may very well be remembered as the era of the data center.
Across America, and especially throughout the South, billions of dollars are pouring into AI infrastructure. Massive facilities are being built to power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, medical research, and advanced manufacturing. For many building trades unions, these projects represent years of work, hundreds of thousands of man-hours, and careers that will help support our members' families.
So naturally, our first instinct is to celebrate them.
But here's the interesting part.
The public isn't there yet.
A recent national poll conducted by the Rainey Center found that Americans currently view data centers more negatively than positively, with only 29% holding a favorable opinion compared to 48% unfavorable. That doesn't mean the public opposes progress. It means they're asking questions. And whether we like it or not, those questions will shape permitting, legislation, and ultimately whether these projects continue getting approved.
As labor leaders, that's something worth paying attention to.
One of the biggest surprises from the polling wasn't that people are skeptical, it was why.
The concerns aren't primarily about construction. They are about trust.
People worry about higher electric bills. They worry about water consumption. They worry about AI replacing jobs. They worry about their personal data ending up overseas. They worry that giant technology companies are making promises that local communities will ultimately have to pay for.
Whether every concern is technically accurate is almost beside the point.
Public perception drives public policy.
Fortunately, the same research uncovered something encouraging.
Voters are remarkably persuadable when they're given factual information. Support for data centers increases significantly when people learn about water recycling technologies, privately funded electrical infrastructure, local tax revenue, and the blue-collar jobs these projects create. Every educational message tested in the survey moved public opinion in a positive direction.
That's the good news.
But perhaps the most important finding for organized labor wasn't about AI or electricity.
It was about accountability.
Two-thirds of voters said they support mandatory Community Benefits Agreements before construction begins. Nearly the same number want legally binding protections ensuring communities actually receive the benefits they were promised.
Think about that for a moment.
The public isn't saying, "Don't build data centers."
They're saying, "Show us how this project benefits our community."
That should sound familiar.
Collective bargaining has always been about accountability.
Our signatory contractors operate under agreements that establish wages, safety standards, apprenticeship requirements, training investments, and workforce expectations. Long before "community benefits" became a popular planning term, organized labor understood that large projects work best when expectations are written down, measurable, and enforceable.
That's a conversation we should be leading.
Labor shouldn't simply be the loudest voice advocating for more construction.
We should also be the strongest voice insisting that these projects are built responsibly.
If a data center is going to consume power, communities deserve to understand how the grid will be strengthened.
If water is being used, the public deserves accurate information about modern recycling technologies instead of internet myths.
If tax incentives are offered, citizens deserve transparency regarding what they're receiving in return.
And if billions of dollars are being invested, local workers should have the first opportunity to build them.
Those aren't anti-development positions.
They are pro-community positions.
The survey also revealed something fascinating about artificial intelligence itself.
Sixty percent of Americans believe AI will destroy jobs. At the same time, most acknowledge its enormous potential in medicine, manufacturing, and scientific research. Americans aren't rejecting AI, they're wrestling with uncertainty about where it will lead.
Building Trades unions understand technological change better than almost anyone.
Every generation has watched tools evolve.
Laser layout replaced string lines.
Robotic total stations replaced manual surveying.
BIM transformed coordination.
Prefabrication changed installation.
Technology changes the work.
It rarely eliminates the need for skilled craftspeople.
AI will likely be no different.
Finally, there is the issue of China.
Polling found overwhelming concern about American data being stored in adversary nations, but voters consistently ranked local impacts above geopolitical competition when evaluating proposed data centers. In other words, national security matters, but people still want to know what a project means for their own community before they support it.
That's an important lesson for all of us.
People don't experience policy nationally.
They experience it locally.
As business managers and local union leaders, we have an opportunity to become trusted voices in this conversation.
Not by dismissing legitimate concerns.
Not by becoming cheerleaders for every project.
But by insisting that the projects our members build are worthy of public confidence.
The future of AI infrastructure will not be decided solely in state capitols or boardrooms.
It will be decided at county commission meetings, planning boards, city councils, neighborhood associations, and kitchen tables.
When those conversations happen, organized labor should already be there.
Not simply saying, "This creates jobs."
But saying something even more powerful:
"This project creates good jobs, protects workers, strengthens communities, and earns the public's trust."
If we can become the voice advocating for both economic opportunity and public accountability, we'll do more than build data centers.
We'll help build public confidence in the local unions who build America.