Voters in Oregon will be deciding this November whether or not they will allow data centers to be built in their community. The 25 megawatt limit in the citizen-led initiative would mean projects only one-twentieth the size of proposed project would be able to be built, a Yes vote is a ban in effect if not in name. This initiative does not ban other modern manufacturing or industries.
For over a year IBEW Local Union 8 has been working to get a commitment to employ our members from those advancing this development. While working to get this commitment we have spoken at open meetings, we have lobbied, and we have organized alongside our allied construction unions so this project moved forward, because a project that stalls can’t employ union workers.
However, there comes a point where we have to make a decision. We set a clear standard for our support, and it has not been met on this project. Our duty is to our members, not to development for development’s sake. We will never support, nor will we ignore, nonunion projects in our jurisdiction. The careers of the members of IBEW Local Union 8 and Building Trades unions are in construction and development, and our livelihoods are threatened by bad development. Nonunion contractors erode our standards and threaten the safe working conditions and wages we have created in our industry…