Once slated to be closed, the Perry Nuclear Power Plant appears to have a bright future after META agreed to buy power from three Vistra-owned nuclear power plants. As part of the agreement, Perry will produce 15 percent more power, all of which will go power Meta’s Ohio datacenter campuses.
Cuyahoga County Central Services - A positive Ohio Construction Forecast
Groundbreaking on the $890 million Cuyahoga County Central Services Campus project, located in Garfield Heights, is set for the first quarter. Work on the new county jail and Sheriff’s office will be performed under a Project Labor Agreement by affiliated members of the Cleveland Building Trades.
Last December, regional building trades leaders from across Ohio spoke to The Labor Citizen and offered their thoughts on how 2025 would unfold within their jurisdiction.
For most, they expressed cautious optimism for the upcoming year, despite many unknown factors – including political and financial. Nearly a year later, The Labor Citizen was able to speak with three of those regional building trades leaders to see how the year actually turned out for their members. In all cases, the outcome was as good, or better than anticipated.
Work began last month on the first phase of the $1.6 billion Cleveland Hopkins International Airport renovation project called CLEvolution. All work being performed at Hopkins will take place under a Project Labor Agreement with theCleveland Building and Construction Trades Council. The entire project is expected to create about 1,500 to 1,800 jobs for affiliated Cleveland Building Trades members, according to Dave Wondolowski, CBCTC Secretary/Business Manager.
According to a report recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America, almost half of the contractors surveyed feel construction zones are more dangerous than ever. The work zone safety study was based on a nationwide survey of highway construction firms conducted in April and May. Over 600 contractors completed the survey.
Months after approving funding for the project, Cuyahoga County Council released the first renderings of its new Central Services Campus, slated for Garfield Heights. The Council’s Public Safety and Justice Affairs Committee reviewed plans with project partners on Sept. 16, including HOK Architects, marking a major step forward in the county’s largest public facility project in decades.
In a post on their website, the Cleveland Browns announced a joint venture between AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction Company to serve as the construction managers for the organization’s domed stadium construction project.
Journeymen, apprentices and contractors from the Northeast Ohio union construction industry gathered at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the annual event honoring the region’s best. The annual Building Excellence and Craftsmanship Awards was held on Aug. 21 to honor those who built and re-built the region.
Thanks to a late rally, IBEW Local 38 took home its fifth straight division “A” title in the 43rd Cleveland Building Trades Softball Tournament with a 17-16 victory over Laborers Local 310. In the “B” division, Elevator Constructors Local 17 made a valiant run, but came up short against Steelworkers Local 979 A by a 16-6 score in the Championship game.
An Aug. 19 topping off ceremony marked a major milestone in the construction of two Cleveland Clinic research buildings in the Cleveland Innovation District. The ceremonial beam-lifting event celebrated the placement of the two final steel beams in the skyway bridge that spans E. 100th Street, connecting the new facilities.
Learn about the Trades to Title Program. This is a new path designed specifically for union tradespeople to move into building wealth through homeownership. You don’t need to be a builder or a real estate expert, just ready to take the next step.
The August 2025 edition of The Labor Citizen should look and feel a little different, as a result of contracting with a different printing facility. In March 2025, the owners of the Canton Repository Press sent notice that after July 2025, they would no longer print the monthly pro-labor publication. No reason was provided with the termination notice. Eventually, Labor Citizen staff determined Canton would be printing numerous additional publications owned by the Gannett Co., following the closure of a printing facility outside Detroit, Mich. This ended a working relationship that went back decades, possibly longer. No one currently affiliated with The Labor Citizen has ever worked with any other printer.
The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council recently made the largest donation in the history of a Cleveland-area Stuff the Bus campaign. For the past 19 years, local Cleveland TV station WJW Fox 8 has held a Stuff the Bus drive to take donations to provide essential school supplies to students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Ohio is a good state to work in if you are a construction worker. Based on data released by constructioncoverage.com, the Buckeye State ranked 10th in the nation for construction worker wages. Multiple Ohio cities placed within the top 10 in their size category for pay, as well.
Members of Iron Workers Local 17 helped the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Clinic and Bedrock Real Estate mark a significant milestone with the ceremonial topping off of the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center.
One of Cleveland’s own was honored at a national conference for her dedication and leadership in the construction industry. Doreen Cannon, President of the Greater Cleveland Council of Tradeswomen and former President of Plumbers Local 55, was honored during the National Association of Minority Contractors’ 56th annual National Conference.
An artist rendering of the Browns' proposed domed stadium and mix-use development in Brook Park. The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council and Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Ohio recently sent letters in support of the project to the governor and state legislative leaders, urging them to approve bonds to help fund the project, which will create over 6,000 construction jobs.
According to a report recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America, almost half of the contractors surveyed feel construction zones are more dangerous than ever.