Danny Kelly, who serves on Cleveland City Council and is a retired member of LIUNA Local 310, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his trade career and how it has helped him as a member of Council. He also discussed a new project on Cleveand’s downtown riverfront that will be union-built and potentially staffed with union members.
Kelly spent 45 years as an active member of LIUNA Local 310. He discussed his journey with the trades and what led him to the next phase of his career. Elected in November 2022, this is his first term as Councilman of Ward 11, which covers portions of the Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson and Bellaire-Puritas neighborhoods.
Thanks to his LIUNA membership, Kelly knows the importance of a hard day's work. He discussed how his experience has shaped his work on City Council. Kelly said his main focus is to speak for the city's working class and ensure they are given the opportunities to improve their lives.
He also discussed the unveiling of plans for the new Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center. The $3.5 billion, privately funded project on 35 acres of Cleveland’s riverfront would become one of the world’s largest training facilities. Kelly discussed how City Council came to terms on a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for construction of the facility. He also spoke about a neutrality agreement that will allow SEIU Local 1 the opportunity to organize the janitors and security officers who will work at the facility.
For more from Kelly listen to the show above.