Bexley, Ohio. Labor unions in central Ohio

Labor Day programming on WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio.

Host Katy Taylor and MC John Manning.

Guests were Dorsey Hager, business agent of Local 44 of Asbestos Workers and Richard Shack, business agent of Stagehands Local 12.

Because of the health hazards related to asbestos, Local 44 workers are now generally employed on heating, cooling and refrigeration projects. They are also active on projects involving various utilities, major private construction projects and governmental construction projects. Asbestos work is now limited to remediation work such as encapsulating asbestos at a site or removing asbestos from buildings.

Stagehands are active in work at the major Columbus theatrical venues such as Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre and Southern Theatre. Examples of stagehand work projects are Broadway road shows and other musical events. Conventions at Veterans Memorial Auditorium and the Columbus Convention Center also provide work.

Despite the wide differences in their respective skilled trades, Hager and Shack shared some values that are basic to the union movement. They both talked about the dignity of labor, the importance of fringe benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. Both Hager and Shack spoke of the value of collective bargaining.

Both men described a core benefit of a union work as providing dependable results and high quality performance to employers. Both union local business agents expressed loyalty to their members and the importance of contract bargaining for results.

Hager and Shack also expressed the importance of keeping jobs available to their members. When bargaining with employers, making projects succeed is important to the union members as much as it is to the employer.

They also described Columbus as not a union-friendly town.

They discussed apprentice programs and their approaches to recruiting new members.

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