Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council (C/COBCTC), joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast for his monthly Trades Day segment.
Hager reported on two Ohio Power Siting Board hearings held the previous week: one in Millersport for the Fairfield Energy Center, which serves a $2-billion-plus data center campus in Fairfield County, and one in Asheville for an energy center to power the EdgeConnects data center campus already under construction there. He addressed the growing public backlash against data centers and energy projects at those hearings, the state of Central Ohio's infrastructure as the region prepares for a projected population of one million people by 2050 and the C/COBCTC's ongoing outreach to middle schools, high schools and underemployed adults.
Hager also previewed a major IBEW job blitz coming to Columbus and a citywide organizing push that could be replicated across the State Building Trades if it succeeds. He also noted a coming intra-labor political dynamic: Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin has announced a challenge to Mayor Andrew Ginther in the 2027 Columbus mayoral race, with both candidates considered strong friends of the building trades.
- Ohio Power Siting Board hearings for the Fairfield Energy Center in Millersport drew 30 speakers, with 13 of the first 17 representing union members or union leadership. The Asheville hearing drew 70 speakers with approximately 35 from labor. Both hearings reflected growing community opposition to data centers and behind-the-meter energy centers on grounds including air quality, water quality and NIMBY concerns. Hager told an opponent at the Millersport hearing that with 1 million people projected to arrive in Central Ohio by 2050, anyone who does not want the development that comes with that growth would do well to consider relocating.
- Central Ohio's infrastructure is not keeping pace with its growth: the I-70/I-71 interchange project is still underway, the outer belt lacks sufficient lanes and a proposed outer outer belt connecting Delaware to Newark to Lancaster to Circleville to London to Marysville and back has been discussed for 20 years without action. Hager addressed the $350 million Columbus municipal court building project, which was recently canceled and noted the Columbus City Schools continue to face facility needs. He explained that infrastructure means far more than roads and bridges and that the region is not yet where it needs to be to absorb the growth coming its way.
- The IBEW is planning a job blitz in Columbus in which organizers from across the Fourth District will canvass active jobsites, leaflet workers and then hold an all-day session where workers can meet with contractors and union representatives and be placed directly with a contractor on the spot. If successful, the UA is considering a similar effort. Hager has had early conversations with Ohio State Building Trades President Bobby Cole and Executive Secretary Mark Douglas about scaling the concept to a council-wide effort across all trades.
Two Hearings, One Week and a Message for the Opposition
The week before this episode aired was a busy one for Dorsey Hager and the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council. On Monday, he was in Millersport, in Fairfield County, just outside Buckeye Lake, for an Ohio Power Siting Board hearing on the Fairfield Energy Center application. The proposed behind-the-meter gas plant would power a data center campus in Fairfield County, representing more than $2 billion in construction. Union members, business managers, agents and organizers from across Central Ohio showed up to speak in support. Of the 30 speakers, 13 of the first 17 were either county union members or union representatives.
The testimony covered the jobs the project creates, the apprenticeship opportunities it offers to people starting careers in the trades and the long-term maintenance work it provides for experienced members. Opponents raised concerns about air quality, water quality and quality of life more broadly. Hager said the NIMBY sentiment was genuine and understandable. He also said it does not change what is coming to Central Ohio.
After the hearing, an older Millersport resident followed him outside with questions. They had a good back-and-forth conversation. The resident had lived in the community for a long time and was against the project. Hager said he understood the frustration. His message to the resident was direct: if you live in Franklin County or any of the counties touching it, whether the project is a data center, an energy center, an Intel supplier, the Anduril facility, a housing development or a large-scale solar installation, something is probably going to be built near you in the near future. A million people are projected to arrive in Central Ohio by 2050. New roads, bridges, schools, churches, housing and commercial development are all coming to this five-to-six county region. Anyone who wants to avoid that growth, he said, would do well to consider putting their house on the market.
On Wednesday of the same week, Hager was in Asheville for the Ohio Power Siting Board hearing on the energy center application for the EdgeConnects and PowerConnects data center campus. Work is already underway on the data center site, with trailers going in for workers. That hearing drew 70 speakers, approximately 35 of whom were from labor. The testimony and the opposition followed a pattern similar to Monday.
Infrastructure: Behind the Curve and Not Catching Up Fast Enough
Hager addressed Central Ohio's infrastructure with characteristic frankness. The region is not keeping pace with its growth, and he is not sure it can catch up in time.
The Interstate 70/71 interchange project is helping relieve downtown Columbus traffic, but it is not yet complete. The outer belt does not have enough lanes. A proposed outer belt that would connect Delaware to Newark, Lancaster, Circleville, London, Marysville and back to Delaware has been discussed for 20 years without moving forward. The recently canceled $350 million Columbus municipal court building was a casualty of federal and state funding cuts to local budgets. Columbus City Schools continue to face facility needs at every level.
Hager pushed back on the narrow definition of infrastructure that dominates most public conversation. Infrastructure is not just roads and bridges. It is the courts, schools, transit and every system that supports a functioning city. On the transit front, the first east-west corridor of the LinkUS bus rapid transit program has started, and Hager said he is glad for it, even if questions remain about whether it goes far enough. On the broader question of whether Central Ohio's infrastructure is ready for a million new residents by 2050, his answer was no. He hoped it would get there. He was not confident it would.
Recruiting the Next Generation: What Has Changed in 12 Years
The C/COBCTC's outreach to young people is led by Eli Wenzel, who runs the Building Futures program. The target has expanded well beyond the classic audience of young adults who are unemployed or underemployed after college. The council is now going into middle schools and high schools, meeting students before they have committed to any post-graduation path.
Hager said something has shifted in the past 12 years. When C/COBCTC first began reaching into high schools, parents often resisted the trades as a career path for their children. Today, those same parents who can see tuition-free training, yearly wage increases, industry-standard pay, full benefit plans and defined-benefit pensions are enthusiastic. They want their sons, daughters, nieces and nephews in the trades.
He also described a broader generational shift he is observing. Young people increasingly do not want to go straight to college. The average age of a first-time homebuyer has moved toward 38. The cost of college has made the traditional four-year path less appealing. Young workers increasingly want a track to a six-figure income as quickly as possible, with the option to go back to school later if they choose. Hager included himself as an example. He told his parents he would go back to finish his degree and become a school teacher, but the trades kept him too busy and paid him too well. Some of his apprenticeship classmates, he noted, are already retiring after long and financially secure careers.
The IBEW Job Blitz and What Could Follow
Hager previewed a major IBEW organizing initiative coming to Columbus. IBEW organizers from across the Fourth District will canvass active jobsites throughout the city, leafleting and connecting with workers who are not yet in the union. That outreach will be followed by an all-day session where interested workers can come, meet with union representatives and contractors and be placed directly with a contractor on the same day.
If the blitz goes well, the UA will consider a similar push. Hager said he has already had early conversations with State Building Trades President Bobby Cole and Executive Secretary Mark Douglas about scaling the concept to a full council-wide effort across all trades. The ambition, he said, is clear: whatever outreach model works, replicate it and grow it.
Columbus Politics: A 2027 Intra-Labor Race
Hager noted a coming political dynamic in Columbus that will be closely watched by the building trades. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, whose brother is an IBEW 683 member, has announced he will challenge Mayor Andrew Ginther in the 2027 Columbus mayoral race. Both are described by Hager as strong friends of the building trades. Ginther won his previous two re-election campaigns by comfortable margins. Hardin's announcement drew more than 1,200 people to his annual community fish fry.
Hager explained the C/COBCTC's endorsement process for the 2027 race will not begin until 2027, consistent with the council's standard practice of screening and endorsing in the election year. In the meantime, the council's attention is on the November 2026 election. He discussed multiple key races, including getting Sherrod Brown reelected to the U.S. Senate, electing Amy Acton governor and picking up House and Senate seats in the Ohio legislature to break the Republican supermajority.
Labor Day at 132: A Rising Tide
Hager is the son of a pipefitter, and his wife is the daughter of a union coal miner who served as president of his Local in Eastern Ohio. Labor Day is personal for his family in a specific way. He pointed listeners to an event at Columbus City Hall organized by City Council Pro Tem and IBEW 683 member Rob Dorans called Organizing Columbus: A Labor Day Celebration, where union members will share what union membership has meant to them and their families.
His Labor Day message was the one he carries into every outreach conversation: a rising tide lifts all boats. The 40-hour work week, paid time off, paid vacation, workplace safety rules, annuities, pensions and healthcare programs all came from the labor movement and all benefit union and non-union workers alike.
More information on the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council is available at columbusconstruction.org.
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