How Communities Benefit

Good Paying Union Jobs

The Facts

Average pay that’s 20% higher.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, union workers make 20% more than nonunion workers. That’s more money supporting hardworking American families.

Keeping jobs in our communities.

Utility-scale renewable energy projects are long-term projects. This means local workers are prioritized to keep the workforce close to job sites. After construction, nearly all ongoing operations are managed by on-site local workers.

Safe, highly trained workforce.

America’s union workforce is highly trained and required ongoing education keeps workers up to date with the latest technologies and safety protocols.

Great benefits out of the gate.

Trade jobs are in high-demand and hiring is constant. Most union jobs include paid training, valuable certifications, full benefits, and retirement options from day one.

Case Study

I Spent 12 Years Living Out of a Suitcase. A Solar Project Could Bring Us Home.

For a long time, I worked wherever the jobs were. I traveled across the country as an electrician—living out of a suitcase while trying to stay connected with six kids back home in Ohio.

I helped with homework from four time zones away. Missed ballgames. Missed dinner. Missed the chance to just be there. And I did it because that was the only way to provide the kind of life I wanted for my family.

Today, I get to be home. But the only reason that’s possible is because good union jobs started coming back to our region. And projects like solar could be a big part of that.

A solar project in our area would be more than clean energy. It would mean long-term, local construction work. It would keep our members here—sleeping in their own beds, eating with their families, building pride in the places they’re from. It could bring in younger workers who need a path forward. It could give people a career.

I believe in that. Not because it’s theoretical, but because I’ve lived what it’s like to go without it.

I want solar jobs in our community because I know what steady work close to home means. And I want to help bring that opportunity to the next person, the way someone once brought it to me.

Greg B. – IBEW Local Campaign Organizer

“Today, I get to be home. But the only reason that’s possible is because good union jobs started coming back to our region. And projects like solar could be a big part of that.”

PYC & Good Paying Union Jobs

What We’re Doing

Targeting projects that prioritize using local, skilled labor with fair compensation and good benefits.
Supporting the Three Trades agreement that helps renewable energy project developers put highly skilled American tradespeople to work.
Promoting vocational education and opportunities for local communities to recruit and train new skilled workers.
Advocating at the state and federal level for issues that maximize job opportunities in America’s renewable energy economy.