This Week in Trades — August 17, 2026

Stanley Black & Decker Commits $1 Billion to U.S. Trades Workforce

Stanley Black & Decker is investing $1 billion in the U.S. through 2028, split about 50/50 between R&D for next-generation tools and strengthening its domestic manufacturing footprint. The company points to a widening skilled trades gap, saying the U.S. needs nearly half a million new trades workers by 2027.

Part of that money is already moving. Stanley Black & Decker has committed $60 million through 2030 to its DEWALT Grow the Trades program, and $27 million of that has already been spent on training pathways into the trades.

For electricians, this means faster product cycles on the tools you use every day, plus more funded on-ramps into apprenticeships and training. Tool manufacturers don't make bets this size unless they expect demand for tradespeople to keep climbing.

Source: PR Newswire

IBEW Rail Workers Reject CPKC's Offer, 89% to 11%, After 11 Weeks on Strike

About 300 CPKC signal and communications workers, represented by IBEW Canadian Signals and Communications Systems Council No. 11, have been on the picket line between Vancouver and Montreal since May 31. On Aug. 14, members voted 97% turnout and rejected the railway's latest contract offer by 89%.

The fight is over wages, on-call obligations, and scheduling. CPKC wants a seven-days-on, seven-days-off rotation already used by its Calgary crews. IBEW says that schedule doesn't work for towns like Revelstoke, where cost of living and hiring conditions are different. IBEW has also filed 19 complaints alleging CPKC used replacement workers in violation of Canadian labor law.

IBEW represents a large share of North America's electrical workforce, and this local's fight over scheduling and pay is a live test other IBEW locals are watching. Terms won or lost here tend to show up in bargaining elsewhere.

Source: Railway Supply

Data Center Construction Spending Jumps 46% Year Over Year

National nonresidential construction spending rose just 0.1% in June, but that flat headline hides a split. Data center construction spending was up 7% for the month and 46% year over year, according to Associated Builders and Contractors' analysis of Census Bureau data. Spending on nonresidential projects outside data centers fell 0.6% in June and is down nearly 8% from a year ago.

The gap shows up in backlog too. ABC members with data center work under contract are carrying 11.0 months of backlog, compared with 8.5 months for everyone else.

Data centers are one of the only nonresidential categories still growing, and they run on heavy electrical infrastructure: switchgear, backup power, high-capacity distribution. If you're licensed and looking for steady work, that's where the demand is concentrated right now.

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors

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