PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an agreement Friday morning that she said would protect workers building the TSMC microchip plant in north Phoenix.
The Voluntary Protection Program is stricter than federal safety regulations, Hobbs said. TSMC agreed to hold themselves to those safety standards, as well as increased transparency and oversight from state safety regulators.
The massive TSMC complex has been under construction since 2021, with an average of 12,000 workers on site every day. Asked why this safety agreement was just now coming up, Hobbs said, "I just got here."
"We took action as soon as we could," she said.
The new agreement includes a 10-hour training for all managers and leaders, on-site visits throughout the year, and the Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health offering assistance.
Building and trade union members have been complaining of workplace safety issues at the plant in recent weeks. Hobbs said she had heard of those complaints, and added they were the reason behind the agreement.
TSMC announced in July that the facility would be delayed from opening by a full year. The company cited a shortage of skilled labor in Arizona and said it would import workers from Taiwan.
The plant is now scheduled to open in 2025.
The agreement can be read below:
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.