The first union contract for workers at Greenidge Generation’s cryptocurrency mining and power plant in Dresden, New York, has been successfully ratified by the employees. – Greenidge Generation. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) reported that the workers at the location agreed to the agreement in late 22026.
The workforce is represented by IBEW Local 10, a union located in Johnson City, New York. This union consists of power plant operators, maintenance personnel, and ‘hash rate techs’, who are in charge of managing and maintaining the plant’s Bitcoin mining operations.
Greenidge’s Dresden location integrates on-site power generation with cryptocurrency mining. As per IBEW, the facility has the potential to supply a maximum of 110MW of electricity to the grid during times of high power prices. Concurrently, it can divert a maximum of 60MW to Bitcoin mining servers when the grid prices decrease.
The union revealed that the workers at the site initiated the process of organizing themselves following the expression of concerns related to payment structure, training, holidays, and job security. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has reported that certain employees at the plant were paid significantly different rates despite carrying out similar levels of work.
Greenidge has lauded Dresden as an exemplar of integrated power generation and data center operations, maintaining that the facility can reduce cryptocurrency mining during peak demand periods and transmit additional electricity to the local power grid. Union member Ray Chelson has expressed that mining Bitcoin generates more employment opportunities, as it enables the plant to remain operational irrespective of the state of the local electrical grid.
Chelson further elaborated that without Bitcoin, and if the plant were a typical peaker plant, it would be offline, and it could take anywhere between 12 to 24 hours to reach full capacity again. Due to Bitcoin, we are able to incorporate 60MW to the grid immediately and include an extra megawatt every minute until we reach maximum capacity, Chelson informed IBEW.
The organization has been investigating AI and HPC data center possibilities as well. In May 203, Greenidge announced that it had been offered a proposed interconnection agreement from NYSEG (New York State Electric and Gas) for a 60MW supply of non-curtailable power at Dresden. This, they stated, could potentially facilitate AI/HPC data center development.
By the end of the first quarter of 2026, Greenidge had reported 111.5MW of active self-mining, hosting, and power generation capacity at its locations in New York and North Dakota. Further information can be found in Workforce & Skills.
