OPINION: The Big Reveal: Labor Doesn’t Oppose Development—We Love It, Build It, and Make It Better by Brian Griffin, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Central Labor Council
Here’s a truth that might surprise some people—but it shouldn’t: Organized labor loves development.
We love it because it brings cranes to our skyline, jobs to our city, and opportunities to our neighborhoods. We love it because it’s a chance to transform not just the built environment, but people’s lives. And we love it because no one is more committed, more prepared, or more essential to getting it done right than the labor movement.
Yet the myth persists—that labor is somehow a barrier to development. That we slow things down, inflate costs, or resist innovation. Let’s put that to rest, once and for all. The reality is exactly the opposite.
Organized labor is development’s greatest ally. We deliver projects on time, on budget, and to the highest standard. A 2023 study by Independent Project Analysis found union-led construction projects were, on average, 4% less costly, experienced 8% fewer delays, and had 34% fewer safety violations than their non-union counterparts. That’s not ideology, that’s data.
And safety? It’s no accident that the safest construction sites are union job sites. Our safety culture doesn’t just protect union workers—it raises the bar for everyone. Our standards shape policy. Our training prevents injuries. And our commitment to “every worker home safe” is more than a slogan—it’s a practice rooted in generations of care.
What makes that possible? Training. No one trains like the trades. Our multi-year, nationally certified apprenticeship programs turn raw potential into world-class skill. While others talk about upskilling, we’re doing it every day in classrooms and on job sites across Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and this entire Nation.
From electrical work to HVAC, plumbing to pipefitting, masonry to mechanical systems, our training programs are rigorous, hands-on, debt-free, and tied directly to real jobs with real wages. That’s not just good for workers, it’s good for developers who want excellence, reliability, and pride in every phase of a project.
But our role goes even deeper than boots on the ground. Labor is also among the best-informed, most experienced subject matter experts in upstream development planning.
We know what it takes to get a project out of the ground because we’ve done it a thousand times. We understand permitting timelines, workforce capacity, scheduling realities, material flows, and how to mitigate risk before it even appears on a Gantt chart. We bring that insight to planning boards, pre-construction meetings, economic development panels, and site strategy sessions—not as an afterthought, but as essential input!
And here’s where our contribution becomes transformational: Labor doesn’t just build things. We build people. Through programs like Building Futures and the upcoming BEACON initiative—Building Equity through Access, Careers, Opportunity, and Networks—we are creating career pipelines for people who have historically been locked out of opportunity: Black and Brown communities, women in trades, returning citizens, veterans, immigrants, and low-wage workers looking for something more.
We bring wraparound support, mentorship, peer networks, and decades of institutional knowledge to help people not just find a job—but launch a career. We’re not just engaged in workforce development, we’re leading it.
So, let’s flip the script. The next time someone says labor is holding back development, tell them this: Development thrives when labor leads. Not because we demand more, but because we deliver more. Not because we push back, but because we push forward—with purpose, professionalism, and pride.
Cincinnati is growing. Good. Let’s grow smarter, faster, and fairer. Let’s bring labor into the room early and often. Let’s build more—and build it together.
Because if you really want a project to succeed, there’s only one question you need to ask:
“Is labor at the table?”
Brian Griffin is the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and serves on the Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio Workforce Investment Boards. He is a lifelong advocate for workforce equity, infrastructure success, and building prosperity from the ground up.
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