During the Feb. 25 edition of America’s Work Force, Doreen Cannon, president of Plumbers Local 55, a Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Affiliate, spoke about recruiting more people into the trades.
A trades fair is coming up on March 7, hosted at Max Hayes High School in Cleveland, Ohio from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. Cannon said that the fair, hosted twice a year, has grown exponentially since the first trades fair five years ago. Cannon then went on to discuss the benefits of an apprenticeship, such as an earn while you learn approach, good health benefits, free training, and earning college credits. She spoke on the high demand for more apprentices and tradespeople in Cleveland due to the large amount of construction projects going on in the area.
Lake County Commissioner, John Hamercheck, spoke about the Perry Power Plant that is scheduled to shut down in 2021. He said that when the plant shuts down, over 30 million dollars in taxes will be lost, over 700 plant workers will be out of a job, and there will be nearly a half billion dollar hit to the states GDP. Hamercheck also mentioned that the Perry Power Plant just set a new operational record for most consecutive days in operation.
Larry Willis, President of the Transportation Trades Department, talked about infrastructure in Ohio receiving a “D+” rating and other failing infrastructure throughout the rest of the United States. He mentioned President Trump’s initial promises when he first took office about improving America’s infrastructure and how there has been nearly no progress on that promise. Lastly, Willis spoke about Governor Dewine proposing a gas tax raise of 18 cents by July, and the push for truck drivers to unionize.