Dorsey Hager on Drones, Data Centers and Central Ohio's Building Boom

Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast for his monthly building trades update on a central Ohio construction market that keeps breaking its own records.

Construction on the first building of the Anduril drone manufacturing campus in Pickaway County is complete and operational, with the first drone expected off the assembly line this week. Meanwhile, data center and power plant construction is underway in Asheville, Ohio, while the downtown Columbus municipal courthouse, a $325 million project being performed under a Community Benefits Agreement, has broken ground.

Registered Apprenticeship Programs have grown 68 percent in 10 years, and the number of female members in affiliated Central Ohio building trades Local Unions has quadrupled since 2016. Additionally, the Council’s affiliated members are on pace to work more than 20 million hours in 2026, which is more than double the 9 million hours they worked just three years ago.

• The first of 12 buildings at the Anduril drone manufacturing campus in Pickaway County has received its occupancy permit and is operational, as the first drone is expected off the assembly line this week. Anduril has secured contracts with the United Kingdom, Australia and the U.S. government for both weaponized drones and reconnaissance drones. Construction of the second building, the campus office facility, is underway, with steel up and exterior walls on. Hager called the completion of a fully operational drone factory in approximately 13 months an exceptional pace by any standard.
• Affiliated members of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council are on pace to work more than 20 million hours in 2026. This is a significant increase compared to 9 million hours worked just three years ago and 4.2 million hours when Hager took the job 12 years ago. Registered Apprenticeship Program enrollment has grown 68 percent over the past decade, and the number of women who are members of affiliated Local Unions has quadrupled since 2016, a roughly 400 percent increase, with outreach expanding into Celebrate One neighborhoods to reach communities historically underserved by workforce development opportunities.
• Hager flagged a nurses organizing drive underway at Children's Hospital in Columbus, where nurses say working conditions, including excessive hours and inadequate security, have contributed to workplace violence incidents affecting both nursing staff and all hospital employees. He connected the drive to the broader trend he is observing nationally: younger workers who feel the American dream is passing them by are turning to unions as they watch older generations achieve economic stability through Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Boots on the Ground and a Drone Off the Line

Dorsey Hager and IBEW Local 683 Business Agent Anthony Ciardelli have developed a habit of hitting job sites together, sometimes deliberately, sometimes by spotting a hole in the ground or steel rising above a tree line while driving past and pulling over to investigate. Last week, those joint visits took them to Pickaway County, where the picture they found at the Anduril campus was striking.

The first of 12 planned buildings at the Anduril drone manufacturing campus is complete and has received its occupancy permit. Operations are underway. Hager said his understanding is that the first drone is expected off the assembly line this week. Anduril has secured contracts with the United Kingdom, Australia and the U.S. government covering both weaponized systems and reconnaissance drones. Construction on the second building, a research and office facility, is already underway as steel is up and the sides are on. The workers who completed the first building are transitioning to the second. A company that had no presence in central Ohio 18 months ago now has a fully operational drone manufacturing factory. Hager called completing the structure in roughly 13 months exceptional by any industry standard.

Asheville Power and Data Centers

From Pickaway County, Hager and Ciardelli drove to Asheville, Ohio, where Power Connects and Edge Connects are developing a data center campus and power plant. The site is fenced, earth is being graded, gravel is coming in and temporary trailers are in place. Hager said he expects underground work to begin within 30 to 60 days. Building trades members are already being dispatched to Asheville as the project takes shape. He described watching this campus come together as the next major chapter in central Ohio's data center story. The region ranks second nationally in data center concentration, behind only Virginia.

A $325 Million Courthouse Under a Community Benefit Agreement

Downtown Columbus is also adding a new municipal courthouse. The $325 million project is being built under a Community Benefits Agreement. Hager called CBAs one of the signature policy achievements of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther's administration. The site work has begun, and the trades are already referring workers to the project. Hager expressed confidence that the job will come in on time, under budget and safely.

The Airport, Organizing and a Few Bad Actors

The John Glenn Columbus International Airport expansion project continues, with ironworkers, laborers and operating engineers active on the site. Hager said approximately 83 percent of the construction project is being performed by union members. While this is a solid number, he acknowledged that a handful of non-union contractors were awarded contracts. He framed those situations as organizing opportunities rather than losses, describing an active campaign of jobsite visits, conversations at nearby gas stations, restaurants and bars after shifts. Essentially, this is targeted recruitment to fill Local Union manpower needs and grow membership.

Workforce Development: Numbers That Tell the Story

The workforce development picture in Central Ohio is one that Hager describes with clear pride. When he took the job 12 years ago, affiliated members worked approximately 4.2 million hours. Three years ago, that number had more than doubled to over 9 million. Now, affiliated members are on pace to exceed 20 million hours in 2026. Enrollment in building trades Registered Apprenticeship Programs has grown 68 percent over the past decade. Additionally, the number of female members in affiliated Local Unions has quadrupled since 2016. This is roughly a 400 percent increase that Hager said reflects sustained outreach into communities that historically had limited connection to trades careers.

The Council’s affiliated Unions have been going into Columbus's Celebrate One neighborhoods — areas characterized by high unemployment, high crime rates and limited workforce development infrastructure — to introduce residents to careers in the building trades and apprenticeship pathways. The message, Hager said, is straightforward: this is a direct path to the middle class. As AI eliminates jobs in data entry, computer-based roles and administrative functions, the trades are increasingly positioned as the durable alternative. Members perform work that cannot be automated, are paid well and earn union benefit packages including family healthcare.

A Nurses Organizing Drive at Children's Hospital

Hager mentioned an organizing drive underway at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, where nurses are seeking union representation. They are concerned about working conditions, such as excessive hours that affect patient care quality and inadequate security that has led to incidents of workplace violence against nurses and support staff. He connected the drive to a broader pattern he is observing across the workforce: younger workers who feel the American dream is slipping past them are watching their parents and grandparents achieve stability through union membership and they have decided they want the same thing.

Two Days Before the 250th

Asked what the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence means to him as a worker, Hager reflected on everything he earned through the union movement. He feels a responsibility to extend those same opportunities to others.

Hager pointed to the underemployment rate — currently above 8 percent nationally — as a figure that doesn't get enough attention. Political leaders often cite low unemployment as evidence of a strong economy, but that number tells only part of the story. Workers who are underemployed, underutilized or stuck in jobs that don't match their skills or aspirations are exactly the people the trades can reach.

He also offered a shout-out to Brian Poindexter, the ironworker running for Congress in Northeast Ohio, as an example of the broader trend of union members attempting to step into elected office at all levels.

More information is available at columbusconstruction.org.

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