Offshore wind farms are set to become a major source of electricity in New York State — it will soon be common to see strong ocean winds driving turbine blades that transmit energy via underwater cables to power generators.
The state currently has five offshore wind projects in active development off the Atlantic Coast, and according to the New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), “is well on the way to developing 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035, enough to power up to 6 million homes.” And that will be a good thing for labor.
Davon Lomax, political director for District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), said the influx of investment in offshore wind farms will create jobs.
“There’s been tons of money pumped into the offshore of Long Island [for the South Fork Wind project],” Lomax told the Amsterdam News. “They’re building some wind turbines and bids are going out now for more wind turbines. Our job in the labor unions is to prepare our members and future members for this kind of work that’s coming out, because you’re going to need a lot of [workers] for everything from underwater stuff to what we do as painters and coatings, and electrical –– you’re going to need a large workforce in the next few years.” The union is focusing on younger future workers for these opportunities.
“Our job is to do the training and let high school kids know that there’s a future in this industry and you can make a lot of money,” Lomax said. “If college isn’t for you, this is a good middle-class living that you can make.”
IUPAT recently joined Community Offshore Wind to host a free workshop that showed that union-based welding, glass-cutting, and painting jobs are soon to be available in the offshore wind farm industry. More than 400 high school students from Queens Technical High School, Long Island’s Uniondale High School, Brooklyn Tech, and Brooklyn STEAM took part in the day-long program alongside non-high school young adults from WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
The workshop was part of National Apprenticeship Week, when organizations showcase employment programs that people can look to for developing job skills. Community Offshore Wind is a renewable energy company jointly owned by RWE AG, a German multinational energy company, and the British multinational National Grid. IUPAT organizes painters, decorators, bridge and structural steel painters, civil service painters, lead abatement workers, architectural metal glassworkers, and allied trades.
“Community Offshore Wind is committed to making sure every New Yorker who wants a career working on offshore wind has access to the training and support they need to do it,” Doug Perkins, president snd project director of Community Offshore Wind, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re working closely with IUPAT and labor partners across industries and trades to educate the next generation of New Yorkers about the opportunities available to them and investing millions of dollars in training programs and facilities, workforce development, and wraparound supports for workers in the offshore wind industry.”
The company’s press statement added that “Community Offshore Wind’s most recent proposed project would create nearly 700 jobs on its own and the developer is firmly committed to utilizing union labor for the construction of the project. The project will also generate roughly $3 billion in economic activity, which will create hundreds of additional jobs.
“To ensure equitable access to these opportunities, Community Offshore Wind will invest up to $250 million in education, workforce development programs, and services that address barriers that prevent New Yorkers in disadvantaged communities from accessing job opportunities.”
The incoming Trump administration has expressed a desire to curtail offshore wind farm developments, but already long-term projects have been in the works for years and will outlast the upcoming national administration.
“A lot of the world is moving toward offshore wind,” Lomax said. “And not just that, but you have hydrogen energy, and then you have nuclear energy… A lot of the world is moving toward this type of technology.
“We’re really excited about the offshore wind opportunities for our membership and future members where we will be having folks work with dignity and safety, and providing for their families.”
IUPAT offers free apprenticeship programs. Salaries for first-year IUPAT apprentices can be anywhere from 17 to 21 dollars an hour, including medical and retirement benefits; a journeyperson’s salary can range anywhere from $40 to close to $100 an hour. Students can either go to the union’s website and sign up for alerts about recruitment opportunities or have union reps visit their schools to talk about what is available (https://www.iupat.org/).
I don’t think that’s a good job to have at all. Dangerous and may pay well but if they’re offering it to black youth why? Ocean winds don’t always blow unless nasa and all the satellites in the sky affect the wind and I don’t know if this is a crazy thought but I’ve been wondering if all the satellites are really affecting the weather. There are so many up there you can’t even see stars anymore.