In December 2024, stakeholders met to tour Eli Lilly’s expansive pharmaceutical construction site in Boone County, Indiana. Industry leaders, union representatives, and policymakers highlighted the partnership between the biopharmaceutical sector and union-skilled labor. With over $13.5 billion invested in manufacturing and research facilities, Eli Lilly is reinforcing its deep roots in Indiana while relying on a highly trained union workforce to meet growing demand.
The tour emphasized how this partnership is driving economic growth across the region. As demand for advanced manufacturing grows, union membership in Indiana has surged, growing by over 800 members in just two and a half years. To meet this demand, new training facilities are being developed to ensure workers have the skills needed for pharmaceutical construction, from processing pipe to security systems.
As Eli Lilly’s largest union-built project in Local 440’s history, the partnership is a model of what’s possible when labor and industry work together toward shared goals.
