The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council unanimously endorsed Gov. Mike DeWine in his re-election bid.

From the shores of Lake Erie down to the Ohio River and many areas in between, Gov. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted have focused on job creation.

For Dave Wondolowski, Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, the track record of the administration over the past three and a half years in this area was hard to beat.

“Gov. DeWine has done great work in marketing Ohio as a place to relocate businesses,” said Wondolowski. “This has created thousands of building trades jobs for us, all across the state.”

Not only has DeWine and Husted helped lure large employers to Ohio, but they have also focused on keeping employers, such as Sherwin-Williams, in the Buckeye State.

While job creation was a factor in the endorsement decision, another was the governor’s overall relationship with the building trades.

“He has been extremely supportive of the trades, and our relationship is built on that strong foundation,” Wondolowski said.

During his time as governor, DeWine did not support any measure that would be considered anti-labor.

DeWine and Husted are good examples of the benefits gained by the building trades when they reach out across the aisle and educate Republicans on the many benefits of the union construction industry.

This model, which has drawn national attention from the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), has served Ohio well.

Despite being surrounded by mostly So-Called “Right to Work” states, Ohio has not passed any similar legislation and still utilizes the state’s Prevailing Wage law, which was passed in the early 1930s.

“Working with both parties and establishing relationships with elected officials that understand our building trades agenda has been a success,” said Wondolowski. “We are working constantly in Columbus, not only to create jobs but also to protect unemployment benefits and workers’ compensation laws. Being able to have meaningful discussions with the governor on these critical issues is important.”

DeWine and Husted, both Republicans, will square off against Democrat challengers Nan Whaley and running mate Cheryl Stephens in November.