Travel workers play generational role in Oswego’s economy

For generations travel workers have come to Oswego, NY for career opportunities in more ways than one.

Career contractors from around the globe find themselves here for work, often in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing makes up approximately 10% of Oswego County’s employment according to the Dept. of Labor.

As Novelis, an aluminum production plant is rebuilt, Micron Technology is building a semiconductor complex nearby in Clay. Additionally, the three power plants based nearby (Nine Mile Point Unit 1, Nine Mile Point 2 and James A. FitzPatrick) in Scriba continue to offer job opportunities.

The impact travel workers have on the economy can be difficult to measure given how often the workforce is fluctuating. A fire broke out in Sept. 2025 at Novelis that made this impact increasingly visible. 

Rebuilding Novelis in a timely manner to get production back on track required a significant increase in manpower, most of which came in the form of the traveling workforce.

The impacts of temporary workers from other countries, out of state or from counties across NY became apparent in a number of sectors including the housing, hospitality and service industry. 

According to Nathan Staley, an electrical subcontractor working on the rebuild at Novelis, a large chunk of the traveling workforce stays in hotels paid for by their employers. 

As a bartender at the Sting, a local dive bar in downtown Oswego, I was given the chance to connect with these individuals on a consistent basis for 5 months.

 Many shared that following their 12 hour shifts, they prefer not to return back to their rooms and head to downtown Oswego in search of food, social connection and a beer. 

Due to this, a number of bars including the Sting and local restaurants retain daily business from these workers.

“I can’t cook in my hotel room and I can only eat so many ham sandwiches,” Staley said. He has been working at Novelis and staying at the Best Western since mid-March. Staley explained, “I try to change it up, I’ve been to most of the places (bars) here in town, I usually grab a bite to eat too.”

Other daily attendees of bars like the Sting share a similar perspective. Riley McClung, an HVAC subcontractor for Spectrum, chose to stay in Oswego for the three weeks his work was needed in Syracuse. 

McClung also attended local bars and restaurants nightly because, “it’s better than being by myself, when you get off of work you want to talk to people or do something, you know?”

McClung said he chose to stay in Oswego and commute to Syracuse because he travels with his boat and Lake Ontario offered a chance to use it.

The presence of travel workers is not new to those who have worked in Oswego’s service industry for over a decade. 

“I’ve been here for thirteen years and we’ve always gotten them,” said Angela Moon, a bartender at the Sting and manager of the Brick Bar.

Staley shared that his father also visited Oswego for work when Staley was a child. 

“My father traveled here to work too.” Staley said, “people have been traveling here to work at the plant for a long time.”

“They come through in phases.” Moon explained, “There’s certain months out of the year that they’re here every night and then they’ll leave and we’ll get a new crew.”

While the presence of foreign workers is not as common, many have come to town for the rebuilding of Novelis. Moon said that while she does not see them as often, she has served multiple workers from different countries in the past few months, most of them being of British or Irish origin.

As the manufacturing industry in Oswego has grown, traveling workers’ connection to local businesses has too. While the Novelis rebuild will be completed in the coming months, the presence of travel workers will likely continue as it has in prior decades.

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