Hager provides updates on Central Ohio projects on AWF

To kick off his first appearance on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast in 2025, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager provided an update on ongoing Central Ohio construction projects, starting with Intel.

Dorsey Hager, Secretaria Ejecutiva-Tesorera de C/COBCTC

Hager said there have been no big changes and he plans to re-evaluate in Quarter 2 of this year to check the status of the CHIPS money and then come up with a plan to hopefully get the plant operational by 2028. 

Also, Amazon announced it will spend another $10 billion expanding its datacenter presence in Central Ohio, bringing its investment in the state to $23 billion by 2030.  

Amazon is planning to spend $5 billion in Fayette County on new datacenters that will host computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment and other technology that will assist in power cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

According to Hager, this pushes investments proposed and under construction in Central Ohio to over $64 billion. 

“This creates a lot of opportunities for our members so they can earn good wages and benefits and provide for their families,” Hager said. 

Department of Utilities 

AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc asked Hager about the $9 billion investment from the Department of Utilities and how it will be used to grow the City of Columbus.

El presentador de radio de la Fuerza Laboral de Estados Unidos, Ed “Flash” Ferenc

The $9 billion worth of infrastructure work will go toward several new projects, such as expanding the wastewater treatment facility, water treatment facility and building new facilities.

These projects will be done over the next six to 10 years. 

Scabby the Rat at CMH 

On Dec. 9, Scabby the Rat made its second appearance during the groundbreaking of the $2 billion terminal project at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

Joe Nardone, Columbus Airport CEO and President still refuses to sign a Acuerdo de beneficios comunitarios with the C/COBCTC, keeping the area’s tradespeople working on the project from earning fair wages and benefits.

Hager said the inflatable rat caught a lot of attention and helped spread the word of the airport’s refusal to sign a CBA. 

“We’re going to keep going out there and make sure everybody’s aware of all the opportunities that exist in Central Ohio that may not exist on the new building and expansion of the Columbus Airport,” Hager said. 

Escucha la entrevista completa HERE.