Hager and Ferenc discuss Janus decision

It is worth your time to listen to Dorsey Hager, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer, make his monthly appearance on America’s Work Force Radio to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Janus case.

Dorsey Hager, C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer

By ruling in favor of Janus, the Supreme Court reversed its 1977 Abood decision, saying it violated the First Amendment. As a result of the decision, the justices implemented So Called “Right to Work” nationwide in the public sector by allowing non-union members to opt out of paying “fair share” fees.

Hager told AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc that he was not surprised about the ruling and knew it was coming after President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He said it will be interesting to see if there will be a future decline in public sector union dues membership.

Ferenc said some union leaders believe the decision will force unions to communicate better with their members. Hager said the building trades unions do a great job communicating with their members through a number of mediums, including email and social media to discuss important core issues such as Prevailing Wage, So Called “Right to Work” and a drug-free workforce.

Hager also talked about Responsible Contractor policies. The C/COBCTC is working to strengthen these policies by working with Columbus City Council, the mayor and the Columbus City School District. He is hoping they can close some loopholes in the city’s current policy and convince the school district to implement a Responsible Contractor policy.

Currently, the Columbus City School District does not have a Responsible Contractor policy and are awarding bids to out-of-state contractors, who take tax dollars out of the local economy and back to their home state.

He said wages have stagnated in states without Prevailing Wage and he sees construction workers from outside the state coming into Ohio for work because of Prevailing Wage laws, which pay workers fair wages.

The segment also included talk about the C/COBCTC’s Dollars against Diabetes clay shoot. The second annual event raised about $7,000 for D.a.D.’s Day, as over 50 people attended the event, including a number of political candidates endorsed by the C/COBCTC. A representative from the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance gave out USA branded items such as Carhartt jackets and coolers.

Before wrapping up, Hager and Ferenc also discussed politics, working safely in the heat and sports. Click here to listen to the entire segment.