Micron Plant in Idaho creating organizing need for Insulators Local 69

Steven Overby, Business Manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 69, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the need to organize more members to meet the upcoming manpower demands. Overby also discussed the Project Labor Agreement for the Micron Plant in Idaho and a trio of upcoming projects demanding more members.

Utah has never been considered a union-friendly state, but thanks to upcoming Infrastructure and CHIPS Act funding the steady work will be increasing soon for Local 69, Overby said. Based in Salt Lake City, Local 69 covers Utah, Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming and Eastern Nevada. Overby said their goal is to at least double the membership from the current 100 members by 2025 to handle the upcoming work in the jurisdiction.

At the center of the need for Local 69’s growth is a $15 billion megaproject to construct a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Idaho for Micron Technology, Inc. Micron agreed to a PLA with the North American Building Trades Union for the project. The funding from the CHIPS Act for the project is estimated to create over 2,000 maintenance jobs in Idaho over the project's life. 

Other upcoming projects in the area will bring more than $800 million in construction funding. Meta's data center project, which started work last September and is scheduled to be completed in 2025, will need to be staffed. Also, Overby said a nuclear fuel fabrication plant at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls will break ground in the next few years. Finally, as Salt Lake City is bidding to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, the Salt Lake City International Airport is beginning expansion plans to meet the future needs. Phase 3 work on the expansion project could go union and add to the growing project list in the area.

To hear more about the work coming to Local 69’s jurisdiction, please listen to the show above.