Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast for Trades Day from a Pharmaceutical Industry Labor Management Association conference in Florida.
Hager discussed Bayer's planned pharmaceutical plant in New Albany, provided an update on Intel's Ohio megaproject, spoke about the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference coming to Columbus in 2028 and gave his reaction to Tuesday's election results.
Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council (C/COBCTC), explained that the New Albany/Johnstown area of western Licking County is the economic development hub - not only in Central Ohio, but across the state. He said news outlets from around the world, including the BBC, have come to the area to cover the building boom and to take part in the data center conversation.
On Oct. 2, Bayer announced it will build a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in New Albany, which will carry a price tag between $2.2 billion and $2.5 billion. Groundbreaking is expected in the summer of 2027 and the project should be completed in three years. Hager noted that Bayer joins other life science and pharmaceutical companies in New Albany, including Amgen, which he said has invested more than $1 billion in the region, and Pharmavite, which makes Nature Made vitamins.
He credited JobsOhio for being part of a public-private partnership to build a life science training facility in New Albany. The training center is nearly finished, and once it opens, Hager believes it will give Central Ohio a leg up on other regions that won huge life science projects. The center was one of the reasons why Bayer picked New Albany.
Hager expects the project to create about 1,500 construction jobs, with a heavy focus on mechanical work. He stated that there will be plenty of work for electricians, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, ironworkers and laborers. Speaking from a Pharmaceutical Industry Labor Management Association conference in Hollywood, Fla., he said the big buzz there was Bayer's plan. He is happy the company picked Central Ohio, and he expects the $2.2 billion to be just a start. He said labor leaders and company representatives at the conference discussed legislation and the message that hiring the building trades means jobs done on time, under budget and completed safely.
He then gave an update on the $28 billion phase one of the Intel project. Crews began to install the trusses last week, marking a major milestone in the project, he said. More than 1,600 building trades members are now on site, and Hager expects the job will ramp up to 4,500 tradesmen and tradeswomen by the first quarter of 2028. He would not be surprised to see manpower reach 6,000 at peak.
Hager said Intel is still on pace to open the first two fabs by summer 2031, though he said that date could change given Intel's agreements with Apple and Nvidia. He said he has no inside information but hopes Bechtel and Intel roll straight into fabs three and four, because it is more important to keep workers on the job than to get them to come back there. He said an industry day is set for Nov. 13, and he thinks there are 42 cranes on site, including one of the largest in North America.
Hager said the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in Houston drew more than 7,000 people. The Hilton was too small for all of the attendees, who were spread across 12 different hotels. He said the C/COBCTC and the Ohio State Building Trades will host the conference Sept. 15 to 17, 2028, in downtown Columbus.
Hager and others watched the election results Tuesday night at his hotel and compared it to Christmas morning for political junkies. He said that for over a month, the polls showed President Donald Trump's unfavorable ratings. Between those ratings and what he called the ineffectiveness of the administration and congressional Republicans, he thought it would be a bad night for Republicans. Hager described the night as a thrashing up and down the ballot nationally, including in states where Democrats have not been competitive for a long time.
In Ohio, Hager said, Iron Workers Local 17 member Brian Poindexter won his congressional race despite headwinds and money spent against him. Dr. Amy Acton won the governor's race. He said the C/COBCTC endorsed Acton and supported her financially as much as it could. He called Sherrod Brown's return to the U.S. Senate a huge win and credited Brown with standing with working people, including on saving the Central States Teamsters pension fund, the CHIPS Act that brought Intel to Central Ohio and funding for the Brent Spence Bridge.
Hager said Allison Russo, who ran for Secretary of State, appeared to be headed to victory after traveling the state 16 to 19 hours a day. He called her the first statewide candidate the C/COBCTC has endorsed. He said Justice Jennifer Brunner appeared likely to keep her seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. In Columbus, he said, voters passed Issues 8 and 9, which he described as creating nine independent council districts plus four at-large seats. He called it a good night for labor.
Hager said Brown is grounded and approachable, and that he remembers him by first name. He said Brown spoke to more than 3,500 people looking for work as electricians at an IBEW outreach event and praised the council's Building Futures program after being invited to a graduation. Hager said that is why the council stood shoulder to shoulder with Brown, who he said stands shoulder to shoulder with them.
More information on the C/COBCTC is available at columbusconstruction.org.
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