Wisconsin: Walker's WEDC finally created some jobs. Too bad they're in foreign countries.

[Scuba]

http://www.wkow.com/story/25977283/2014/07/09/wedc-award-recipients-outsourced-wisconsin-jobs-to-foreign-countries

MADISON (WKOW) -- At least two companies that received financial awards from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) later outsourced jobs to foreign countries, with one of those companies receiving a second WEDC award after the fact. A 27 News investigation has uncovered that both the Eaton Corporation and Plexus Corporation received millions of dollars in financial awards from WEDC, only to later lay off workers whose jobs were taken by employees at the companies' foreign facilities.

In 2011, WEDC awarded Eaton Corp. with up to $1 million in tax credits if the company met job creation and retention goals at its manufacturing facility in Menomonee Falls. WEDC officials say the company has received $190,000 in tax credits so far. In April of 2013, Eaton laid off 163 employees at its Cooper Power Systems plant in Pewaukee and announced it was moving those jobs to Mexico. Less than a year later, WEDC awarded Eaton Corp. with up to $1.36 million in additional tax credits for a proposed $54 million expansion at that same Pewaukee plant. But on Wednesday, WEDC Spokesperson Mark Maley told 27 News Eaton Corp. "recently notified WEDC it will not seek any tax credits for this project."

...

WEDC awarded Plexus Corp. of Neenah with tax credits of up to $2 million in 2011 and up to $15 million in 2012. Maley says Plexus has received $4.7 million in tax credits to this point. In July of 2012, Plexus announced it was laying off 116 workers from its Neenah facility. The U.S. Department of Labor has since ruled those employees, as well as all Plexus employees laid off since December of 2011, are eligible to receive federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits. Those benefits are only available to employees who were laid off because their jobs were outsourced to foreign countries.

Plexus Corp. did not identify where it relocated those jobs to in 2012, but also has offices and interests in the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Romania, Malaysia and Thailand.

[genwah]

1. I just had this sitting here...

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/burkeforwi

doing nothing...

[riversedge]

2. Follow up story: Companies that outsourced jobs donated primarily to Walker campaign

Not surprised!


http://www.wkow.com/story/25987391/2014/07/10/companies-that-outsourced-jobs-donated-primarily-to-walker-campaign


Companies that outsourced jobs donated primarily to Walker campaign


Posted: Jul 10, 2014 11:18 AM CST Updated: Jul 10, 2014 11:22 AM CST
By Greg Neumann

MADISON (WKOW) -- The Wisconsin companies that outsourced jobs after receiving financial incentives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) made 85 percent of their state political donations to the campaign of Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) from 2011 to 2013.

According to a blog on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign website, the three companies - Eaton Corp., its subsidiary Cooper Power Systems, and Plexus Corp., donated a total of $6,500 to state and legislative candidates during that three year span, with $5,553 going to the Walker campaign.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a watchdog group that tracks election spending.

On Wednesday, a 27 News investigation uncovered that Eaton Corp. and Plexus Corp. both received millions of dollars in tax credits from the WEDC for job creation and retention, but later outsourced jobs to foreign countries.

In 2011, WEDC awarded Eaton Corp. with up to $1 million in tax credits if the company met job creation and retention goals at its manufacturing facility in Menomonee Falls. WEDC officials say the company has received $190,000 in tax credits so far. ..............

[Scuba]

3. Thanks for adding this!