Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, made his monthly appearance on America’s Work Force Radio and spoke to host Ed “Flash” Ferenc about Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, who is running unopposed for a second term.
Dorsey Hager, C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Hager credited Mayor Ginter for his leadership and vision, helping turn Columbus into the nation’s 14th largest city. During the mayor’s term, Hager said, on average, 130 people are moving to Columbus each day, and the state’s capital city could surpass the 1 million mark in population by 2030.
Talk then transitioned from the mayor to Prevailing Wage. Reps. Craig Riedel (R-Defiance) and Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview) introduced legislation to make Prevailing Wage optional in Ohio. H.B. 78 would hurt union construction workers by taking money out of their paychecks. There is little support for the bill, which is not expected to make it out of committee, however.
America’s Workforce Radio Host Ed “Flash” Ferenc
Aside from politics, there are a number of major projects currently under construction or planned to begin this year. Around central Ohio, one of the newest projects is a $600 million Google datacenter in New Albany. With so much work going on, there is a major push by C/COBCTC affiliated unions to recruit apprentices.
One way C/COBCTC affiliated unions are gaining apprentices is through job fairs. Another way is through the Building Futures program. The pre-apprenticeship program just graduated its third class. The 11 graduates are guaranteed direct entry into an apprenticeship program and also will go to work immediately for one of their union’s signatory contractors. Building Futures is a program designed to help members of the underserved community remove employment barriers and gain membership in the building trades.
Click here to listen to the entire interview.
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