Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and talked about the building boom in Central Ohio, several projects and their timelines, and how this growth was set up through work he began nearly a decade ago.
Hager recapped an exciting 2023, starting with May’s announcement that Columbus was named one of the five Regional Workforce Hubs in America. With the announcement, he began working with affiilated building trades Local Unions and trade schools to prepare pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs to be to handle an increased load. Hager and his staff also spent time with the local teachers' unions to develop an educational plan to ensure they can educate students about the work available in the region.
This year, a lot of new projects, including multiple megaprojects, were announced in the Central Ohio region. This meant Hager and his team had a new project meeting nearly every week. While Intel gets much of the focus, Hager spoke about a number of up-and-coming projects in the region. With several billion dollars of investments coming to the region, it is up to the local building trades to ensure they can provide the workforce needed for each project, Hager said. He outlined the Project Labor Agreements and the timelines involved with several regional projects.
When he was voted C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer a decade ago, Hager vowed to invest the time and energy to develop the relationships needed to increase the work hours for the building trades. Along with building these relationships, he needed to work with the local community to develop pre-apprenticeship programs to create the opportunity to expand the regional workforce. Hager’s goal to rally regional organizations and develop a strong base for putting the building trades members to work for a long time has finally paid off.
For more from Hager and the growth of Central Ohio, please press play on the show above.
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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, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 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, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
