Facebook’s Parent Company - Meta, has put $115 million behind its launch of America's Workforce Academy, a free five-week Training Program promising American Heroes, which encompasses basically anyone a guaranteed construction job offer from the contractors who build Meta’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Data Centers.

On the surface, it looks like a decent deal: Meta covers the cost of tuition, travel, housing and living expenses while participants’ train.

Those who complete the program will get a National Center for Construction Education and Research credential.

Meta bills the program as the largest job-guarantee Trades-Training commitment from any American company ever (as if American companies are known for their commitment to guaranteeing jobs).

But I had my doubts, especially since the early reporting focused on Meta’s perspective alone.

The first obvious red flag: Instead of routing trainees through the Unionized Building Trades’ Registered Apprenticeship Programs - which Meta has worked with before - the company is partnering with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

Why is this an issue?

Because ABC is a Non-Union Trade Association that Phenomenal World described as an “exclusively Anti-Union Lobby.” 

In fact, ABC was founded explicitly to promote "Open Shop" (Non-Union) construction.

For decades, ABC has lobbied to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act's Prevailing Wage requirements, fight jobsite safety requirements, and kill Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) - which protect Workers and mandate contractors hire through Unions.

It’s worth diving into which specific safety requirements ABC fought because the list is genuinely pretty crazy.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Meta’s Training Camp for Building Data Centers is an Anti-Union Scheme