Meta's $10 Billion Data Center Build — Inside the Biggest Union Construction Project in America Right Now

Meta has committed $10 billion to building the largest data center infrastructure project in American history across multiple sites. At peak construction, this project will employ over 4,000 construction workers. IBEW has the electrical agreement, Ironworkers have the structural steel, Boilermakers are on the mechanical systems, Operating Engineers are running the heavy equipment, and Laborers are handling site work. This is a major union build and the scale is real. The primary construction sites are spread across multiple states, with significant activity in DeKalb, Illinois and other locations. Members currently on the DeKalb site report per diem running at $162/day with Hensel Phelps managing the construction contract. The work schedule has been consistent, with overtime available but not mandatory. Data center construction has become one of the most significant categories of industrial work for the trades in recent years. The AI infrastructure buildout happening across the country is driving demand for electrical, mechanical, and structural work at a scale that rivals the industrial construction booms of previous generations. The timeline for projects of this size runs long — these are not six-month builds. The Meta commitment is a multi-year infrastructure investment. IBEW and Ironworker dispatch is the primary route in. Confirm with your local on the current out-of-work list status. The work is there. Members who are positioned to travel and are in the right crafts should be registered and ready. The data center buildout is not slowing down — the semiconductor plants, the AI infrastructure, the LNG terminals — this is a legitimate decade of major construction work for the American trades. Get yourself in position to work as much of it as you can.