Could Columbus soon be a home to a new semiconductor plant?

On his monthly appearance on the America’s Workforce Union Podcast, Dorsey Hager,  Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, spoke with AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc about the possibility of a new semiconductor plant being built near Columbus.

Dorsey Hager, C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Currently, the shortage of semiconductor chips in the U.S. has stifled automotive production and other manufacturing sectors. 

Recently, Hager attended a meeting with a company looking to potentially build a semiconductor plant in the Columbus area. The company was exploring potential tax breaks and learning about other incentives. He said one official asked him if the region had enough local manpower to build the plant as well as to maintain it once construction was complete. Hager responded by saying Columbus had a tremendous talent pool that would greatly benefit the project.

He believes it is important for American manufacturers to use domestically made parts in order to maintain ample supply chains. A semiconductor plant would be a good step in that direction and provide plenty of jobs, he added. 

While the semiconductor plant is not yet a reality, Hager noted the future looks bright for central Ohio, as there are a plethora of area construction projects in different stages, including the Amgen biotech plant and data centers for Amazon and other tech giants.

Food drives, labor education classes and So-Called “Right to Work” laws

AWF Host Ed “Flash” Ferenc

Hager also spoke about the Christmas Cares, Union Shares holiday food drive sponsored by the St. Stephen’s Community House and the Central Ohio Labor Council. The Central Labor Council, the IBEW and the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 189 donated their time so needy families could have a nice Christmas dinner and groceries during the holiday season. 

Talk then turned to plans to possibly create a series of quarterly labor education classes to help educate people about factions of organized labor as it pertains to Central Ohio Labor Council affiliated unions, public sector unions and affiliated C/COBCTC unions. He and other labor leaders are currently developing a curriculum for the series.

Lastly, Hager touched on So-Called “Right to Work” legislation and how Democrats tend to see a six point disadvantage in states where such laws are in effect. Wisconsin and Michigan, states where Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton narrowly lost in 2016, each passed So-Called “Right to Work” laws in the years leading up to that election. 

Listen to the entire interview.