Responsible data center rules can protect communities, create union careers
Data centers have moved to the center of Illinois’ public debate, which is understandable given the role they play in today’s economy. Send an email, join a video call, check a medical record, or use an AI tool, and a data center somewhere is processing that information.
The economy increasingly relies on these facilities, but their rapid growth also raises fair questions about electricity, water, land use and who pays for new infrastructure.
Gov. JB Pritzker has called for responsible growth of data centers. For suburban communities, that should mean protecting ratepayers and natural resources while requiring projects to create good jobs, expand the tax base and make meaningful local investments.
Labor organizations including IBEW Local 134, the Chicago Laborers’ District Council (LIUNA), International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, and the Illinois Pipe Trades Association came together to form the Coalition for Responsible Data Centers because we believe data centers are a net benefit to Illinois.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the thousands of union jobs they create.
Data centers employ electricians, operating engineers, laborers, pipefitters and other skilled tradespeople for years during construction and expansion. These are family-sustaining union careers with health coverage, retirement security and apprenticeship training. A multi-year construction job is not temporary to a tradesperson who moves from one major project to the next. It is a career and, for many young people, a path to the middle class without four-year college debt.
Meta reports that its DeKalb project averaged 1,200 skilled trade workers on site at peak construction. Elk Grove Village estimates that, over the next five years, more than 1,000 people will work on data center construction in the village on an average day, supporting local businesses by purchasing fuel, eating at local restaurants, and spending money in the community.
Beyond jobs, data centers create much-needed tax revenue for Illinois communities and provide relief for residents. Elk Grove Village reports that data centers generated approximately $60 million in property taxes for the 2025 tax year. In DeKalb, tax revenue from the Meta data center recently funded a new school downtown, while the city reports residents’ property taxes are less than half of what they would be without it.
Those results should inform the statewide debate, but they should not end it. Responsible development means developers covering the infrastructure costs associated with their projects, supporting the additional power needed to serve them, using water efficiently, and meeting strong environmental standards. Above all, host communities deserve a voice early in the process and commitments that deliver tangible community benefits tailored to local needs, from workforce training and school funding to infrastructure improvements.
Labor standards must be part of the framework. Illinois' Data Center Investment Program required qualifying projects to use a state-approved project labor agreement, meet investment and job commitments and comply with environmental or green-building requirements. The state stopped processing new applications in July, leaving new Illinois projects without the program’s enforceable labor standards.
Pausing incentives or placing blanket moratoriums on development does not eliminate demand for digital infrastructure. It redirects projects, paychecks and local revenue to states that remain open to responsible development. Illinois is competing with neighboring states for these projects, while the United States competes with China for AI leadership. China is investing heavily in the infrastructure required to lead. Illinois should seize this opportunity to build on our terms, strengthen America’s competitive edge, and ensure our workers and communities share in the benefits.
Policymakers have a better option. Responsible growth means protecting ratepayers and natural resources, supporting union jobs, and delivering community benefits. Developers that meet those expectations should have a clear path to build.
Data centers are going to be built because the economy depends on them. Illinois has an opportunity to lead by pairing responsible development with lasting benefits for workers and host communities.
That is what responsible growth should mean.
• Neil Parish is director of the Coalition for Responsible Data Centers, a labor-led coalition promoting responsible infrastructure growth that supports local economies, protects ratepayers and natural resources, strengthens communities and creates meaningful career opportunities for working men and women through Illinois.