Acting U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su announces final PLA rule in Cleveland

Acting U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su visited Cleveland in mid-December to announce details related to the final rule to implement President Joe Biden’s Executive Order requiring Project Labor Agreements for most large-scale federal construction projects. This rule will help ensure large federal construction projects are completed by union construction workers, who will earn good wages and excellent healthcare and retirement benefits in exchange for performing quality construction work efficiently and on time, helping to complete the project on or under budget.

U.S. Department of Labor sets final rule on worker misclassification

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a long-awaited final rule regarding the misclassification of workers. On Jan. 9, the DOL officially stated it would rescind an independent contractor rule put in place during the Trump Administration. Among the industries the rule is expected to affect are construction, healthcare, trucking and housekeeping.The new final rule will help employers and workers better understand when a worker must be considered an employee and when they qualify as an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Cleveland port hastily ends wage policy it itself touted: Dave Wondolowski questions port board on prevailing wage decision

Cleveland Building Trades Executive Secretary, Dave Wondolowski. “In repealing its wage-protection policy, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Board of Directors has violated its mission to advance the economic interests of Cleveland residents in favor of protecting profit margins for a handful of developers.”

Cuyahoga County approves funding for new jail

Cuyahoga County Council voted on Dec. 14 to extend the County’s sales tax to pay for the new jail, set to be built in Garfield Heights. Taxpayers will pay the County’s 0.25 percent sales tax for an additional 40 years, which local leaders estimate will create enough revenue to fund the construction of the new county jail. The tax, which was set to expire in 2027, passed Council by a 6-5 vote and will stay on the books until 2067. The sales tax revenue has funded large downtown projects since 2007, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Sherwin-Williams HQ celebrates project milestone

The Sherwin-Williams global headquarters project in downtown Cleveland celebrated an important construction milestone on Dec. 4 with a Topping Off ceremony. Two weeks ahead of the scheduled ceremony date, Sherwin-Williams leaders were joined by elected officials, construction workers and others associated with the project to mark the installation of the final piece of structural steel on the 36-story tower (616 feet high), which when completed, will be the sixth tallest building in Ohio. “It’s really a special day for us and for all of Northeast Ohio,” said Sherwin-Williams Chairman and CEO John Morikis. “We’ve been proud to be a part of Cleveland since 1866 and call this home.”

Biden announces hydrogen hub investment

President Biden and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced the creation of seven regional clean hydrogen hubs that will receive $7 billion in Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act funding to accelerate the domestic market for low-cost, clean hydrogen. According to the White House, the seven selected regional clean hydrogen hubs will utilize more than $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs – bringing the total public and private investment in hydrogen hubs to nearly $50 billion.

Cuyahoga County buys land for new county jail. PLA expected for $750 million project

The Cuyahoga County Council approved the purchase of land in Garfield Heights to build a new county jail on Sept. 26. The 72-acre site, located off Transportation Boulevard and Granger Road, was purchased for $38.7 million. County Executive Chris Ronayne told the council the Garfield Heights site was large enough to build what the county needs in the future, which may include multiple buildings and a central service campus with wrap-around services that people will need in addition to the county jail.

2023: A MEGA-year for construction in Ohio

This is shaping up to be not just a big year for Ohio’s union construction industry, but a mega-year. Keyed by several mega projects, including the $20 billion Phase I of the Intel project in New Albany and the $3.5 billion Honda/LG joint venture battery plant in Jeffersonville, 2023 is forecast to be a record year for a number of Local Unions and regional building trades councils in terms of man-hours.

PLA's Used on New Cleveland Clinic Capital Projects

The Cleveland Clinic announced major construction projects in May set to take place on its main campus, with all work covered by Project Labor Agreements [PLA]. In his State of the Clinic address, Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., announced the Cleveland Clinic is investing in multiple capital projects, including the construction of new buildings and the renovation of several facilities in Ohio.

Mixed-use Project in Cleveland to Create 300 Jobs

A partnership between the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic, Meijer, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation and Fairmount Properties will create 300 jobs for affiliated members of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council. A Dec. 14 groundbreaking ceremonially started the project to build a small grocery store and apartment complex in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood. Located on the corner of East 105th Street and Cedar Avenue, Fairfax Market is part of the overall $500 million Cleveland Innovation District project.

Cleveland Clinic Breaks Ground for Mentor Hospital

Officials from the Cleveland Clinic held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 20 to mark the beginning of construction on a new hospital in Mentor.

The project was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but ground has officially broken, generating expectations of amble work opportunities for local union tradesmen and tradeswomen.

Members of multiple building trades affiliated with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council stand to benefit from a longstanding relationship with the Cleveland Clinic, as many past Cleveland Clinic projects have been completed under Project Labor Agreements (PLA).

Union Pension Funds Help Finance ‘Artisan’ Project

Union pension funds help finance ‘Artisan’ project

Area leaders officially broke ground on July 29 at the new Artisan Circle Square building in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood, which will be built under a Project Labor Agreement.

Delayed Mentor Hospital Project to Begin-Cleveland Clinic agrees to PLA

Plans to build a new hospital in Lake County under a Project Labor Agreement are back on the table following a one-year pause due to COVID-19, creating hundreds of jobs for area union trades.

In late April, the City of Mentor announced the Cleveland Clinic will break ground later this year on the new hospital project.

The new construction will provide work for 300 to 400 affiliated members of the Cleveland Building Trades, according to Dave Wondolowski, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary

Union Heads Praise Biden Infrastructure Plan

Union Heads Praise Biden Infrastructure Plan -President Joe Biden’s 10-year, $2 trillion infrastructure plan calls for more than just the construction of roads and bridges. The plan will include, among other items, green retrofitting of schools, construction of energy-efficient housing and $400 billion for new infrastructure for child care and elder care.

Major Projects Across Ohio Boost 2021 Construction Outlook

Major Projects Across Ohio Boost 2021 Construction Outlook

In Ohio, officials closely involved with the union trades are seeing signs of a somewhat positive outlook for 2021, anchored by a number of large projects.

The Columbus area leads the way, with multiple massive, billion-dollar projects underway or set to break ground in 2021.

In 2019, members of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council logged about 6.75 million manhours. C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager believes they topped that mark in 2020.

Thanks to the ongoing building boom in the area, he anticipates the potential for even more hours worked by affiliated unions in 2021.

Ashtabula Pig Iron Plant Covered by PLA

Ashtabula Pig Iron Plant Covered by PLA

A new pig iron plant in Ashtabula will be constructed solely by union construction workers.

Petmin USA signed a Project Labor Agreement with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council to ensure only highly skilled and highly trained building trades members will construct their first facility in North America.

Cleveland Clinic Announces New Hospital in Mentor

Cleveland Clinic announces New Hospital in Mentor
The Cleveland Clinic recently announced plans to build a new hospital in Mentor, which will be covered by a Project Labor Agreement, providing new work for members of multiple trades affiliated with the Cleveland Building Trades.

Cuyahoga County Signs Project Labor Agreement for Justice Center Project

Cuyahoga County entered into a Project Labor Agreement with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council to transform three floors inside the Justice Center into a Central Booking Area. Various trades affiliated with the Cleveland Building Trades will convert 37,400-square-feet of space into an area designed to speed up the processing of suspects and help reduce the jail population. Read more here

Efforts to repeal Prevailing Wage will not work in Ohio

America's Work Force R...CBCTC-1February 19, 2018America's Work Force Radio, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, Dave Wondolowski, Ed "Flash" Ferenc, I-480 Bridge, John Hartness Brown building, North American Building Trades Union, PLA, Prevailing Wage, Project Labor Agreement, Right to Work, school construction, Sean McGarvey, So Called Right to Work

Roundtable Talk Sparks Community Investment Ideas

Construction Issues, EducationCBCTC-1October 3, 2017AFL Housing Investment Trust, AT&T, building, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, Courtyard by Marriot, Dave Wondolowski, ERECT Fund, financing, investment, jobs, PLA, Project Labor Agreement

Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council Blog