Bloomberg Law reports that the growth of data centers to power artificial intelligence is exposing tensions among organized workers over how new technology will impact their work.
While the construction of these centers could benefit skilled trades and construction industry union members, other unions representing private and public sector workers have raised concerns about future job losses due to AI. The issue has caused a rift between the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest union federation, and its affiliates.
Bloomberg Law spoke with Anne Lofaso, a professor at the Donald P. Klekamp School of Law, and other industry observers about this disparity. Mr. Lofaso is a former attorney with the National Labor Relations Board and teaches labor law, employment law, employment discrimination law, and constitutional law.
“There’s always tension between the AFL and the CIO because the unions have very different interests,” Lofaso told Bloomberg Law. “But this is really existential. This is about work.”
The Building Trades Union of North America, one of the AFL-CIO’s largest members, is one of the most vocal defenders of data centers, which its leaders say provide jobs, according to Bloomberg Law.
“These are not the only things being built in the U.S. and Canada right now, but this is where a lot of the work is happening,” NABTU Chief of Staff Mike Monroe told Bloomberg Law. His organization represents more than 3 million construction industry workers in the United States and Canada.
In April, about half a dozen union leaders affiliated with the AFL-CIO supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vermont) when he asked Congress to pass a moratorium on data center construction until lawmakers pass guardrails on artificial intelligence in the workplace.
The dispute reflects a wave of backlash over the impact of more than 4,000 data centers across the country used to power AI, according to Bloomberg Law.
Data center construction is an increasingly important part of construction unions’ business models, accounting for 2.3% of all construction spending in the U.S., as they rely on partnerships with companies to keep their members employed, according to a June report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Read the full story at Bloomberg Law online.
Learn more about Ann Lofaso, a law professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Featured top images of data centers in Vernon, California. Photo/License.
