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 to discuss the region's explosive growth and how the building trades are preparing for the future.
As the Rust Belt transforms into the Silicon Heartland, Central Ohio is experiencing an unprecedented tech boom, Hager said. With billions of dollars pouring into the region, the union construction industry faces exciting opportunities. As the leader of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Hager’s role is to negotiate labor agreements, promote workforce development and ensure fair treatment for workers across the construction industry.
Hager highlighted the investments flowing into Central Ohio, particularly in the tech sector. Amazon's recent commitment of $10 billion for new data centers, on top of previous investments, will bring their total investment in the region to $23 billion by 2030. This influx of capital is transforming the area into a hub for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Hager explained, that this investment pushes the total investment in future and current projects to nearly $64 billion.
While the growth presents opportunities for union workers, it also brings challenges. Hager stressed the importance of open communication with various stakeholders to ensure the workforce can meet the demands of these massive projects. He described regular meetings with city officials and utilities departments to plan for the necessary infrastructure expansion. To assist with the expansion, Hager emphasized the need for expanded pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
For more on how the C/COBCTC and its affiliated unions are navigating this period of unprecedented growth, listen to the full episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
