WASHINGTON — The New York Times published an editorial today written by Don Slaiman, the political coordinator of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26, which represents electrical workers in the Washington, D.C., area, revealing that “data centers represent the best opportunity in generations for blue-collar workers to attain a portion of the American dream.”

In the Washington D.C. area, members of IBEW Local 26 have seen their work hours significantly increase due to the rise in data center development. “In 2025, [they] worked 28 million hours, and [they will] most likely top 33 million hours this year. [IBEW] brought in 600 new apprentices last year alone.” 

Slaiman wrote: “We brought in 600 new apprentices last year alone. That job growth happened because data centers came to Northern Virginia and our members went to work constructing and maintaining them.”

Unlike one time construction projects with “a ribbon cutting”, Slaiman argues that data centers are ever evolving, being “built in phases over years and then continually upgraded, expanded, reconfigured and maintained as technology evolves,” leading to long-lasting jobs for blue-collar workers. This stability allows workers to invest in their local communities knowing that their “job site isn’t going anywhere.”

Data centers have also improved quality of life in the communities they serve. Loudon County, Virginia, is now “one of the wealthiest counties in the country, where the typical homeowner receives roughly $5,800 a year in tax benefits — from lower rates — tied to a data center industry that now supplies roughly half of the county’s property tax revenue.”

You can read the full piece here.