The calendar may have turned to a new year, but for many of Ohio’s union construction workers, it looks like another year with an abundance of manhours available.

“Work in the big cities is doing very well,” said Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Secretary-Treasurer Mike Knisley. “Some (other) areas could be better. Overall, I would describe the statewide outlook as plentiful. There will be enough work for all tradespeople.”

In some of the more rural areas, Knisley said members may have to travel for work, but they will not have to go far.

With some major projects finishing up this year, Knisley said 2025 may not exceed the workload of 2024, however.

“The pinnacle in large jobs was last year,” he said.

Similar to the national outlook, datacenters will drive a significant amount of construction activity in Ohio this year.

Besides the datacenters, Knisley highlighted several other major projects that will provide ample work hours this year, including the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project in Cincinnati and Proctor and Gamble in Lima.

Meanwhile, many of the smaller building trades councils will be busy with “bread and butter work” – plant maintenance at refineries, mills, powerhouses and chemical plants – to keep their members busy.

“The members who do the maintenance and small expansions are the unsung heroes who work in the weather every day to keep our communities safe,” he said.

Knisley also expects to see more work at Ohio colleges and universities, as dorms and other buildings constructed to meet the demand from the G.I. Bill following World War II are reaching the end of their lifespan.

Finally, projects funded by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act will generate an abundance of manhours for union tradesmen and tradeswomen around the state.

The Labor Citizen also reached out to representatives from all of Ohio’s regional building trades councils, and four leaders responded and shared their insights on what the year ahead looks like in their respective jurisdiction.

Cleveland

It will be a busy year for union construction workers in Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties. Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dave Wondolowski is looking forward to a strong 2025, after a great 2024.

The Sherwin-Williams downtown headquarters project and Brecksville R&D projects will wrap up this year. New projects scheduled to break ground include the Lake County Public Safety Center, Cleveland Clinic Peak Performance Center and Cuyahoga County Jail.

Meanwhile, work on Cleveland Clinic’s big three projects – Neurological Institute, Cole Eye Institute and Global Center for Pathogen Research and Human Health – will continue in 2025.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s Project Labor Agreement Executive Order also will positively impact the region’s affiliated members this year, as all city-owned projects with a cost above $500,000 will be performed under a PLA.

Columbus

Central Ohio will remain one of the nation’s hottest construction markets this year.

The members of Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council affiliated unions worked roughly 12 million man-hours in 2024 and will likely surpass that total this year, said Dorsey Hager, C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer.

The record-setting number of workhours surpassed the previous record, set in 2023, by roughly 1 million man-hours.

Megaprojects like Intel, L-H Battery Company electrical vehicle (EV) battery plant and datacenters for Vantage, Google, DBT, QTS, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are not complete, and many will keep construction workers busy beyond 2025.

Other notable Central Ohio projects still under construction in 2025 include the Hollywood Casino Columbus hotel, and retooling Honda’s three Ohio plants to prepare to produce electric vehicles.

Hager predicts affiliated members will work about 14 million man hours by the end of the year.

Tri-State

It will be a be a good year in southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and the northwest region of West Virginia.

Last year, the affiliated members of the Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council surpassed 6 million man hours for the second consecutive year.

In 2024, the busiest jobsite for the TSBCTC was the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon. This year, it should be no different, as demolition at the site is expected to last 10 to 15 years.

According to Business Manager John Holbrook, construction on a $105 million water treatment plant in New Boston recently began and will last about 18 months.

Kenworth Truck Company recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce the start of the $89 million, 45,825-square-foot expansion at its Class 8 truck assembly plant in Chillicothe.

Other affiliated tradesmen and tradeswomen will have the opportunity to work on the Altivia Chemicals and the Capchem Battery Electrolight Plant projects.

“We expect another good year,” Holbrook said. “We don’t foresee anything drastic that should make major changes. I feel good about what’s to come.”

Western Reserve

Optimism is also high in along the northern Ohio/Pennsylvania border. Marty Loney, President of the Western Reserve Building and Construction Trades Council, believes 2025 will be a better year than 2024.

Affiliated WRBCTC members worked over 4 million manhours last year. The Ultium plant in Warren kept union construction workers busy with maintenance work last year, and that will continue in 2025, he said.

While not providing any details, Loney said a few project announcements are on the horizon, including a large project that should benefit all the crafts.

Similar to last year, all the leaders stressed the need to organize more non-union workers and recruit more apprentices.