The call came from Prospect staff writer Lee Harris, who was reporting in Phoenix. Security officials at the TSMC semiconductor plant being built there had just kicked her out of the parking lot. I asked her how she wanted me to help.

"I just wanted to let you know," she said, "in case I get kicked out again when I come back tomorrow."

Lee’s story on the TSMC plant, which is being built with billions of dollars in federal subsidies, is the lead feature on the Prospect website today. The promise of President Biden’s industrial policy agenda is that bolstering our manufacturing base will create well-paying jobs. But TSMC resisted signing a labor agreement with unions to build the $40 billion semiconductor facility, instead delegating hiring to 900 subcontractors that have hired untrained workers and migrants.

This has led to safety violations, low trust in management, injuries, and even deaths. "It’s easily the most unsafe site I’ve ever walked on," said one veteran construction worker. It’s also led to unnecessary production delays, showing that the refusal to share benefits with workers has economic as well as human costs.

Investigative journalism like this, which Lee spent months reporting, takes time, effort, and yes, money. She spent several days in Phoenix visiting the job site and talking to workers, seeking answers from local officials, contractors, and TSMC itself. You can’t do this kind of work sitting behind a computer screen and firing off hot takes.

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