Virginia lawmakers are divided over whether to eliminate a data center sales tax exemption that cost the state an estimated $1.9 billion last fiscal year, with teachers and fiscal advocates calling for repeal while IBEW Local 26 and other trades unions rallied to preserve the incentive they say drives well paying union construction jobs in the Commonwealth.
Hundreds of Franklin County, Missouri residents filled a high school gymnasium to oppose rezoning agricultural land for two proposed data center campuses, with local trades union representatives countering that the projects would bring thousands of union jobs paying over $100,000 a year while a planning commission recommendation still awaits final county commission approval.
IBEW International Vice President Michael Monahan urges Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to stop promoting Gov. Janet Mills over Graham Platner in Maine Senate primary, citing Mills' fraught labor record
Profile of Nscale founder Josh Payne, Australian former coal miner who raised $2 billion at $14.6B valuation for AI data center company, with Sheryl Sandberg joining board amid infrastructure boom
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink announces a $100 million investment in skilled trades training, citing a growing shortage of electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians as demand for six-figure blue-collar careers surges.
Demand for licensed electricians is rising sharply as AI infrastructure and data center construction expand, with younger workers increasingly drawn to the trades for stable, well-paying careers.
A union electrician is entering the congressional race on Staten Island, aiming to mobilize the borough's labor base in a bid for federal office.
Construction unions including the IBEW are celebrating approval of a major AI manufacturing facility in Independence, Missouri, calling it a generational win for union jobs in the region.
Residents opposing the approved AI data center in Independence are organizing a referendum petition drive to challenge the city council vote on the project.
Workers at Ingalls Shipbuilding have ratified a new contract featuring the largest single wage increase in the shipyard's history, a milestone win for IBEW and affiliated unions.
Copyright © 2026 IBEW Local 488. The Western Connecticut Electricians All Rights Reserved. Union Made Website: Union Web Services