QTS DeForest
CancelledUnion pledge
QTS's proposed $12 billion data center campus in DeForest and the Town of Vienna, Dane County, Wisconsin. In November 2025 QTS announced a partnership with the Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin (17 local unions) to build it, and the Wisconsin Laborers' District Council announced its support. The village found the annexation not feasible on January 27, 2026, and QTS dropped the plan.
Key facts
- Capacity
- Not available
- Estimated cost
- $12,000,000,000
- Building size
- Not available
- Construction start
- Not available
- Expected completion
- Not available
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Developer
Unions
- Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin · Union pledge · Multiple trades
- Wisconsin Laborers' District Council · Publicly supports the project · Laborers
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)
- Boilermakers
- Insulators
- Plasterers & cement masons
- Elevator constructors
- Teamsters (drivers)
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in Dane 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 159 · effective May 26, 2024ELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $72.83 · Double time 2× $97.10 · Benefits /hr $25.91 | $48.55 | $72.83 | $97.10 | $25.91 | $74.46 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 75 · effective Jun 1, 2025PLUMBER (INCLUDING HVAC WORK)Overtime 1.5× $90.86 · Double time 2× $121.14 · Benefits /hr $27.34 | $60.57 | $90.86 | $121.14 | $27.34 | $87.91 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 601 · effective Jun 1, 2025PIPEFITTER: INCLUDING HVAC WORKOvertime 1.5× $88.38 · Double time 2× $117.84 · Benefits /hr $31.34 | $58.92 | $88.38 | $117.84 | $31.34 | $90.26 |
| IronworkersUnion rate · Iron Workers Local 383 · effective Jun 1, 2025IRONWORKEROvertime 1.5× $66.00 · Double time 2× $88.00 · Benefits /hr $32.66 | $44.00 | $66.00 | $88.00 | $32.66 | $76.66 |
| Sheet metal & HVACUnion rate · Sheet Metal Workers Local 18 · effective Jun 2, 2025SHEET METAL WORKER (INCLUDING HVAC DUCT WORK AND TECHNICIANS)Overtime 1.5× $77.88 · Double time 2× $103.84 · Benefits /hr $34.78 | $51.92 | $77.88 | $103.84 | $34.78 | $86.70 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 464 · effective Jun 1, 2025LABORER, GENERALOvertime 1.5× $56.55 · Double time 2× $75.40 · Benefits /hr $19.97 | $37.70 | $56.55 | $75.40 | $19.97 | $57.67 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 139 · effective Jun 2, 2025POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: GROUP 4 HYDRAULIC BACKHOE (TRACTOR OR TRUCK MOUNTED)…Overtime 1.5× $67.80 · Double time 2× $90.40 · Benefits /hr $27.89 | $45.20 | $67.80 | $90.40 | $27.89 | $73.09 |
| CarpentersUnion rate · Carpenters Local 314 · effective Jun 1, 2025CARPENTEROvertime 1.5× $63.68 · Double time 2× $84.90 · Benefits /hr $28.78 | $42.45 | $63.68 | $84.90 | $28.78 | $71.23 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 107 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKER (BOILERMAKER)Overtime 1.5× $69.78 · Double time 2× $93.04 · Benefits /hr $34.63 | $46.52 | $69.78 | $93.04 | $34.63 | $81.15 |
| InsulatorsNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 23, 2002 · old rateASBESTOS WORKER/HEAT AND FROST INSULATOROvertime 1.5× $38.04 · Double time 2× $50.72 · Benefits /hr $8.37 | $25.36 | $38.04 | $50.72 | $8.37 | $33.73 |
| PaintersUnion rate · Painters Local 802 · effective Jun 1, 2025PAINTER (BRUSH AND ROLLER ONLY)Overtime 1.5× $56.48 · Double time 2× $75.30 · Benefits /hr $21.17 | $37.65 | $56.48 | $75.30 | $21.17 | $58.82 |
| Plasterers & cement masonsUnion rate · Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 599 · effective Jun 1, 2025CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHEROvertime 1.5× $60.42 · Double time 2× $80.56 · Benefits /hr $27.54 | $40.28 | $60.42 | $80.56 | $27.54 | $67.82 |
| RoofersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 23, 2002 · old rateROOFEROvertime 1.5× $27.02 · Double time 2× $36.02 · Benefits /hr $3.28 | $18.01 | $27.02 | $36.02 | $3.28 | $21.29 |
| Elevator constructorsUnion rate · Elevator Constructors Local 132 · effective Jan 1, 2025ELEVATOR MECHANICOvertime 1.5× $97.76 · Double time 2× $130.34 · Benefits /hr $38.44 | $65.17 | $97.76 | $130.34 | $38.44 | $103.61 |
| Teamsters (drivers)Union rate · Teamsters Local 662 · effective Jun 1, 2025TRUCK DRIVER (3 OR MORE AXLES)Overtime 1.5× $59.58 · Double time 2× $79.44 · Benefits /hr $28.70 | $39.72 | $59.58 | $79.44 | $28.70 | $68.42 |
- 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 WI20260005 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- QTS Data Centers (opens in a new tab)q.com · Press release
- Wisconsin Laborers' District Council (via Civic Media) (opens in a new tab)civicmedia.us · Press release
- Urban Milwaukee (opens in a new tab)urbanmilwaukee.com · News
- DatacenterDynamics (opens in a new tab)datacenterdynamics.com · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (WI) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- Wisconsin Labor History Society (opens in a new tab)wisconsinlaborhistory.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination WI20260005 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
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