Stargate Campus in Michigan Will Be Built in Accordance with the National Maintenance Agreement by the 14 Signatory Affiliated Skilled Trade Unions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 20, 2026 – At North America’s Building Trades Unions’ (“NABTU”) Legislative Conference, where thousands of members of construction trades unions from around the country will gather this week to discuss public policy that matters to union construction workers, President Sean McGarvey will announce a labor agreement to build the Oracle and OpenAI Stargate campus—called The Barn—in Saline Township, Michigan. The Michigan Stargate Project is expected to employ more than 2,500 tradespeople and apprentices in the construction of the multibillion-dollar project.

“This agreement marks an important step for our industry and for America’s AI future,” said Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions. “Stargate Michigan will be the first data center built under NABTU and OpenAI’s historic Memorandum of Understanding concerning data center construction. This project will be built under a building trades agreement, guaranteeing the highest standards of safety, training, and craftsmanship. Together with our Michigan State Building and Construction Trades Council, we’re ensuring that this project is built by the most highly skilled union workforce in the country, setting a national benchmark for how data centers should be built.”

“Michigan is proud to be home to the first project built under NABTU and OpenAI’s Memorandum of Understanding,” said Steve Claywell, Secretary-Treasurer of the Michigan State Building and Construction Trades Council. “Stargate Michigan will create thousands of good union jobs while delivering real economic benefits to our local communities. By putting skilled local building trades workers on the job, this project will be built safely, efficiently, and with strong environmental standards, showing that Michigan can lead the nation in both innovation and opportunity.”

“Michigan is open for business and on the move. We have an opportunity to build the future and benefit from new investments while doing it in a responsible way. That’s why today’s announcement from North America’s Building Trades Unions is so important,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “It will ensure that local people are trained in the skilled construction trades, can secure a job on this project, and have the opportunity to learn a trade and earn a paycheck that will support their family. I’m proud that Michiganders will be first in line for these 2,500 construction jobs. I’ll keep working hard to create thousands of good-paying jobs, protect our environment and people, and outcompete other states and nations. Let’s work together to get this done.”

Sam Altman, founder and CEO of OpenAI, who joined President Sean McGarvey in announcing a partnership with NABTU last month at the BlackRock Infrastructure Summit, said, “The massive demand for compute—both to ensure broad-based access to intelligence and to assure the world builds out on democratic AI—is creating one of the biggest opportunities in generations to reindustrialize the United States. At the center of that effort are the skilled tradespeople who make it possible, from framing the buildings, installing the steel, operating the equipment, laying the pipes, and pouring the concrete to building the cooling systems. This agreement will help ensure Stargate Michigan is built by the best-trained workforce in the country, and we’re excited to work with NABTU and the Michigan Building Trades to help create good jobs as we build the infrastructure needed for the AI economy.”

Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk emphasized the significance and scale of the project, stating, “We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners and the Building Trades Unions, who will be the backbone of this massive construction effort. Our investment in Michigan will deliver thousands of jobs, millions in economic benefits, and help advance American AI leadership, while protecting natural resources and strengthening the local community.”

Development and construction on the project are being led by Related Digital, with Walbridge, a 100-year-old Michigan-based company, serving as general contractor and being instrumental in the negotiation of the labor agreements.
“Michigan’s strong, skilled union labor force was a huge factor in the selection of this site and our confidence in delivering this important project for OpenAI and Oracle,” said Bruce A. Beal, Jr., President of Related Companies. “As we build the AI infrastructure of the future, we are also substantially growing opportunities for our tradesmen and tradeswomen and creating a new pipeline of work for American General Contractors and Subcontractors. We could not do that without this agreement with NABTU and the Michigan Building Trades, and we know how much it means for union workers to be able to build projects of this scale in their home state.”

“As the general contractor for the Stargate Michigan campus, Walbridge is proud to help deliver a project of national significance in our home state,” said Michael R. Haller, CEO of Walbridge. “This agreement strengthens collaboration between owners, builders, and the skilled trades, reinforcing that strong partnerships and a highly trained workforce are essential to building the next generation of critical infrastructure.”

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