AWS Salem Township
Amazon Web Services' data center campus next to Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. AWS bought the site's data center and land in 2024 and was granted a 1,600-acre rezoning for 15 more buildings; it is one of two initial campuses in Amazon's planned $20 billion Pennsylvania investment. At the June 2025 announcement, state officials said the project would create thousands of union construction jobs; no union agreement was named.
Key facts
- Capacity
- Not available
- Estimated cost
- Not available
- Building size
- Not available
- Construction start
- Not available
- Expected completion
- Not available
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Owner
Unions
- Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council · Publicly supports the project · Multiple trades
Union labor was reported, but no specific union is named in the sources reviewed.
Locals with jurisdiction over this site
Local with jurisdiction over this site (not confirmed on the job)
- Electricians
- Plumbers & pipefitters
- Ironworkers
- Sheet metal & HVAC
- Laborers
- Operating engineers (heavy equipment)
- Carpenters
- Boilermakers
- Insulators
- Painters
- Plasterers & cement masons
- Roofers
- Elevator constructors
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in Luzerne County, by trade. It is a floor, not what this project pays: data center jobs often pay above scale, and non-union survey rates can be many years old.
| Trade | Wage /hr | Overtime 1.5× | Double time 2× | Benefits /hr | Total comp /hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElectriciansUnion rate · IBEW Local 163 · effective Jun 1, 2025ELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $67.62 · Double time 2× $90.16 · Benefits /hr $25.35 | $45.08 | $67.62 | $90.16 | $25.35 | $70.43 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 524 · effective Dec 1, 2025PIPEFITTER (INCLUDES HVAC PIPE INSTALLATION)Overtime 1.5× $77.54 · Double time 2× $103.38 · Benefits /hr $27.07 | $51.69 | $77.54 | $103.38 | $27.07 | $78.76 |
| IronworkersUnion rate · Iron Workers Local 404 · effective Jul 1, 2024IRONWORKER (ORNAMENTAL, STRUCTURAL, & REINFORCING)Overtime 1.5× $55.89 · Double time 2× $74.52 · Benefits /hr $32.63 | $37.26 | $55.89 | $74.52 | $32.63 | $69.89 |
| Sheet metal & HVACUnion rate · Sheet Metal Workers Local 44 · effective May 1, 2024SHEET METAL WORKER (INCLUDES HVAC DUCT AND METAL ROOF INSTALLATION)Overtime 1.5× $54.20 · Double time 2× $72.26 · Benefits /hr $30.32 | $36.13 | $54.20 | $72.26 | $30.32 | $66.45 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 130 · effective May 1, 2017LABORER: MASON TENDER-BRICKOvertime 1.5× $34.98 · Double time 2× $46.64 · Benefits /hr $16.88 | $23.32 | $34.98 | $46.64 | $16.88 | $40.20 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 542 · effective May 1, 2025POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOROvertime 1.5× $62.82 · Double time 2× $83.76 · Benefits /hr $30.03 | $41.88 | $62.82 | $83.76 | $30.03 | $71.91 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 66 · effective Jun 12, 2017POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR (PUMP)Overtime 1.5× $44.37 · Double time 2× $59.16 · Benefits /hr $20.15 | $29.58 | $44.37 | $59.16 | $20.15 | $49.73 |
| CarpentersUnion rate · Carpenters Local 445 · effective May 1, 2025CARPENTEROvertime 1.5× $54.86 · Double time 2× $73.14 · Benefits /hr $20.04 | $36.57 | $54.86 | $73.14 | $20.04 | $56.61 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 13 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKEROvertime 1.5× $82.50 · Double time 2× $110.00 · Benefits /hr $35.48 | $55.00 | $82.50 | $110.00 | $35.48 | $90.48 |
| InsulatorsUnion rate · Heat and Frost Insulators Local 38 · effective Jul 1, 2025ASBESTOS WORKER/HEAT & FROST INSULATOROvertime 1.5× $58.77 · Double time 2× $78.36 · Benefits /hr $26.07 | $39.18 | $58.77 | $78.36 | $26.07 | $65.25 |
| PaintersUnion rate · Painters Local 41 · effective May 1, 2014PAINTEROvertime 1.5× $41.93 · Double time 2× $55.90 · Benefits /hr $16.12 | $27.95 | $41.93 | $55.90 | $16.12 | $44.07 |
| Plasterers & cement masonsUnion rate · Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 592 · effective Jun 1, 2023CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHEROvertime 1.5× $55.70 · Double time 2× $74.26 · Benefits /hr $14.30 | $37.13 | $55.70 | $74.26 | $14.30 | $51.43 |
| RoofersUnion rate · Roofers Local 30 · effective May 1, 2024ROOFEROvertime 1.5× $51.38 · Double time 2× $68.50 · Benefits /hr $21.89 | $34.25 | $51.38 | $68.50 | $21.89 | $56.14 |
| Elevator constructorsUnion rate · Elevator Constructors Local 84 · effective Jan 1, 2025ELEVATOR MECHANICOvertime 1.5× $92.12 · Double time 2× $122.82 · Benefits /hr $38.44 | $61.41 | $92.12 | $122.82 | $38.44 | $99.85 |
| Teamsters (drivers)Non-union survey rate · effective Aug 20, 2014 · old rateTRUCK DRIVER: DUMP TRUCKOvertime 1.5× $35.04 · Double time 2× $46.72 · Benefits /hr $7.60 | $23.36 | $35.04 | $46.72 | $7.60 | $30.96 |
- Wage:
- the hourly pay in the worker's paycheck, before taxes, at straight time.
- Overtime and double time:
- the wage × 1.5 and × 2. Federal contracts require time and a half after 40 hours a week; when double time applies (for example Sundays, holidays or after 10–12 hours) is set by each union contract.
- Benefits:
- paid by the employer on top of the wage into the worker's health insurance, pension and annuity, and apprenticeship training funds (sometimes vacation and holiday pay). Not in the paycheck.
- Total comp:
- wage + benefits for one straight-time hour.
Journeyman rates only; shift premiums and per diem are not included. Source: Davis-Bacon general wage determinations on SAM.gov.
Apprentices: rates above are for journeymen. Apprentices are usually paid a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40–60% and rising about 10 percentage points every 6 months to a year until they reach the full rate. Exact steps vary by trade and local.
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination PA20260095 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- DatacenterDynamics (opens in a new tab)datacenterdynamics.com · News
- DatacenterDynamics (opens in a new tab)datacenterdynamics.com · News
- Spotlight PA (opens in a new tab)spotlightpa.org · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (PA) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination PA20260095 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- WVIA (opens in a new tab)wvia.org · News
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives (opens in a new tab)pahouse.com · Press release
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