I’m a WI union leader. We back data centers done right.

For us in the building trades, data centers aren’t some big, scary mystery. They’re high-skill, long-term work. The kind of work that feeds families, pays mortgages, and sends kids to college.

Charlie Berens has a real gift for capturing what people love about this state. As someone who is a voice for the unions that represent nearly 50,000 skilled tradespeople across Wisconsin, I value those who share what an amazing place we live and work in.

That’s why I paid attention when he engaged on data centers. He has made a career out of bringing to life the Wisconsin working guy we all know and love – flannel shirt, Kwik Trip runs, and all. Well, those same folks he channels? They’re the ones building these facilities. I was disappointed to see data centers painted as a threat to Wisconsin.

We don’t see it that way. These projects support our members’ lives, and those who do this work every day experience the story differently from what’s gaining traction online. The digital future our world is moving toward is tied to this infrastructure, and it can be a powerful catalyst for community growth when done right.

Our Executive Director Emily Pritzkow in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “For us in the building trades, data centers aren’t some big, scary mystery. They’re high-skill, long-term work. The kind of work that feeds families, pays mortgages, and sends kids to college.” When done right, these projects mean infrastructure upgrades, support for schools, tax relief for homeowners, and jobs that let families stay in the communities they grew up in. Our members live here too – we care about building the middle class while protecting the spaces and places we love about Wisconsin.

Doing Wisconsin data centers right is what matters

Done right. That part matters. Communities have the power to negotiate the terms of these projects. It is not a situation where we have no say. Local leaders can require community benefits that make a real difference for decades. That might be infrastructure upgrades that utilize renewable resources, support for schools, investments in roads, or a tax agreement that takes pressure off homeowners. We must set expectations early, and hold companies to them.

Here’s the thing: for us in the building trades, data centers aren’t some big, scary mystery. They’re high-skill, long-term work. The kind of work that feeds families, pays mortgages, and sends kids to college. They’re complex builds that require skilled blue-collar workers, such as electricians, ironworkers, and operators.

This is the work that builds the middle class. It sustains local construction workforces for years, and gives our apprentices the chance to learn cutting-edge skills that translate to our factories, hospitals, and utilities. It also means continued maintenance work and high-tech jobs when construction ends. When people talk about jobs that allow families to stay in the communities they grew up in, this is the sort of project they are talking about.

Misinformation plagues environmental impact of data centers

There is also significant misinformation about the environmental impact of data centers. A few years ago, the concerns Berens highlights were major considerations. The technology is constantly evolving, and these facilities now operate cleaner and more efficiently than many other projects currently under construction. For example, one recently proposed Wisconsin data center would be powered by 750 mW of new renewable energy generation with a closed-loop cooling design that would not impact local water supply.

Our tradespeople fish the same lakes and hunt in the same woods we all do, they would not support something that threatens those places. We live here, too.

These projects also keep Wisconsin competitive. If we want our small businesses, schools, clinics, and communities to thrive, we need reliable digital infrastructure, attracting future-focused skill sets. Other states are competing aggressively for this investment. While we shouldn’t accept those investments lightly, we should weigh the fact that they can pay dividends for decades if we negotiate strong agreements and insist on responsible development.

Our members love Packers Sundays, Friday fish fries, and a good old-fashioned. We’re bumping into each other at Fleet Farm on Saturday mornings. But we also need good jobs and strong communities. We hope Charlie will listen to some of us who see opportunity, not catastrophe, in building the infrastructure that supports the next generation of work.

Emily Pritzkow is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council.