The AFL-CIO has a civil war brewing, and it is about data centers.

The nationwide build-out of AI data centers is exposing a real fault line inside organized labor. Building trades unions love the work. Data center construction now accounts for 2.3% of all US construction spending, with private spending hitting $50 billion in April 2026. Groups like NABTU (3 million members) have partnered with OpenAI and Microsoft to build and staff these facilities.

Other unions see a threat. National Nurses United and the Association of Flight Attendants stood with Bernie Sanders to call for a moratorium on construction until Congress passes AI guardrails. The IBEW, meanwhile, told members to lobby Congress against any ban.

This is worth watching for one reason: unions are not a monolith. The AFL-CIO represents nearly 15 million workers across 65 unions with genuinely conflicting interests. A law professor quoted in the coverage called the divide “existential.”

When the labor movement is arguing with itself over whether technology is friend or foe, employers should pay attention.

Do you know where your employees’ union lands on AI?