Unions push back against Trump attacks to protect offshore wind jobs

Labor coalitions, organized by the Climate Jobs National Resource Center, have worked for years to secure union jobs in the emerging offshore wind sector, a push reinforced by the Inflation Reduction Act’s prevailing-wage incentives. After Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2024, his administration targeted offshore wind, issuing stop-work directives on projects including Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind, Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind, claiming health and wildlife harms.

While courts have overturned each order and construction has continued, the interruptions have created a “complete chilling effect” on new projects and led to an estimated loss of 3 billion work hours. Union representatives warn that the disruption threatens the domestic supply chain and could make future offshore wind expansion more costly. Despite these challenges, unions have expanded climate-jobs coalitions in several states and maintain that the sector’s growth is inevitable because of its ability to deliver large, reliable power near coastal demand centers.