Two genuinely recent, specific agreements — both announced within months of each other in 2026 — illustrate where real union construction demand is actively expanding beyond traditional commercial and residential building.
The Data Center Agreement: Michigan's Stargate Project
In April 2026, at NABTU's Legislative Conference, President Sean McGarvey announced a labor agreement to build the Oracle and OpenAI Stargate campus — called "The Barn" — in Saline Township, Michigan, under the National Maintenance Agreement, built by all 14 signatory affiliated skilled trade unions. The project is expected to employ more than 2,500 tradespeople and apprentices.
AI infrastructure sounds like a technology story. On the ground, it's a construction story — someone has to pour the concrete, run the power, and build the cooling systems for every data center this boom requires, and that someone is increasingly union labor under agreements exactly like this one.
The Nuclear Agreement: Bechtel and NABTU
In May 2026, Bechtel and NABTU announced a Memorandum of Understanding specifically to advance and modernize apprenticeship programs supporting construction of a new generation of U.S. nuclear power plants — building on the two organizations' work on the Vogtle nuclear expansion and the ongoing Natrium Demonstration project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, described as America's first utility-scale advanced nuclear project.
Why Both Point to the Same Underlying Driver
Both agreements trace back to the same fundamental cause: the AI-driven data center boom demands enormous amounts of electricity, and nuclear power is increasingly positioned as a genuine, reliable answer to that specific demand surge — meaning data center construction and nuclear construction are, at a real infrastructure level, connected parts of the same broader energy and computing buildout.
What This Means for Craft Demand Specifically
- Electrical (IBEW) — both data centers and nuclear plants demand enormous, highly specialized electrical infrastructure work.
- Pipefitting/plumbing (UA) — nuclear construction specifically requires extensive, precision piping systems; data centers require substantial cooling infrastructure.
- Ironworkers, operating engineers, and laborers — the structural and heavy-equipment work underlying any large-scale industrial construction project.
- Boilermakers — directly relevant to nuclear and power-generation construction specifically.
The Apprenticeship Angle
Both agreements specifically emphasize apprenticeship pathway development, not just immediate labor supply — the Bechtel/NABTU MOU explicitly focuses on modernizing training curricula for nuclear-specific craft skills, meaning genuine new training pathways are actively being built right now, not just job openings within existing programs.
What This Means for Someone Entering a Union Trade Now
These aren't speculative future projects — both are active, dated 2026 agreements with real employment targets attached. Entering a relevant union apprenticeship now positions a new tradesperson to build real experience during exactly the construction window these specific, large-scale projects will require.
The Honest Caveat
Large infrastructure and energy projects can face real delays, permitting challenges, and funding uncertainty — NABTU's own February 2026 statement acknowledged this directly regarding some announced investments (covered in full). Treat these specific projects as genuine, real current demand signals, not guaranteed, risk-free certainties.