Posted on 06/02/2015 3:50:27 PM PDT by conservativejoy
UPDATE: WEDC award recipients outsourced Wisconsin jobs
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."
Eaton Corp. is based in Dublin, Ireland, but has numerous offices and interests in the United Kingdom, United States, Indonesia, Singapore, France, Germany and Mexico.
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.
"Clearly, the taxpayers of this state want to know that their money is helping to build our economy here at home," said Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), the Assembly Minority Leader who also sits on the WEDC Board. "And so, when I hear this, it really makes my blood boil."
Rep. Barca says he intends to bring the issue up at the next WEDC Board meeting.
Maley says even if a company has plans to relocate jobs at one of its state plants or divisions, WEDC will still work with that company if it has plans to expand and create jobs in other parts of its Wisconsin operations.
"Even the loss of one job in Wisconsin is one too many, and the WEDC routinely works closely with companies that are considering other options to ensure that those jobs stay in the state. In fact, in the last fiscal year, our efforts have resulted in more than 26,000 job being retained in state of Wisconsin - jobs that were in jeopardy of going elsewhere," said Maley. "If a company makes a business decision to move some of its jobs out of the state - despite our best efforts - we will continue to work with that company to ensure that as many jobs as possible remain in Wisconsin."
But Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke calls that practice "appalling".
"As Governor, I will insist that every WEDC award protects against the outsourcing of Wisconsin jobs and companies that don't live up to their end of the deal give back every tax dollar they received," said Burke in a statement released to 27 News.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin has criticized Burke for outsourcing jobs to China as an executive at Trek Bicycle and Gov. Scott Walker's campaign blasted Burke for her comments.
"This is the height of hypocrisy coming from Mary Burke," said Alleigh Marre, a spokesperson for the Walker campaign. "Trek Bicycle, the company that Mary Burke shamelessly makes millions of dollars off of, received $875,000 in taxpayer money from the State of Wisconsin and has outsourced hundreds of jobs overseas."
Marre is referring to the $875,000 the state loaned Trek so it could build a facility in Whitewater in 1995.
But politics aside, the leader of one Wisconsin business group calls the news disturbing and says the practice has to end.
"What's troubling to me about this is that these companies were given tax dollars explicitly to keep jobs here in Wisconsin," said Lori Compas, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Business Alliance. "To take taxpayers' money and then turn around and fire hundreds of Wisconsin workers is a real slap in the face."
Officials from Eaton Corp. and Plexus Corp. have yet to respond to 27 News on questions regarding this story.
—I forgot to add that several of his campaign staff are currently doing time.
This is the kind of distortion/lie I would expect from a liberal. .. No its the kind of lie I get all the time from Wisconsin liberal hacks.
There were convictions in the John Doe, some resulted from Walkers own request for an investigation of an embezzlement...
Tom Nardelli, his chief of staff at the time, had contacted prosecutors about discrepancies in Operation Freedom’s past record
Another was a political job on a poor woman who made a phone call from her desk.
she was snagged in a politically motivated secret investigation. Wall Street Journal reporter Collin Levy depicts her as an innocent caught in the grinder of modern winner-take-all politics.
She is not in jail
Meanwhile, Rindfleischs appeal slogs on. Gimbel said his client is still waiting for the states response to a brief he filed nearly a year ago. The prosecutors have asked for several extensions, the most recent requested two weeks ago.
http://watchdog.org/136006/kelly-rindfleisch-john-doe-political/
-—Another was a political job on a poor woman who made a phone call from her desk.
And dont tell me democrats NEVER use government time to do political activity. The Democrat gubernatorial candidates wife was a teacher and used her school email to politic.
Republicans get prosecuted for ticky-tack shit.
Yes, All have been convicted, one’s sentence is pending appeal. Some got probation and a fine. One did six months.
Im sure in Cruzs staff of 700 in Texas we can find some arrests and convictions as well.
John Doe lasted for years and years and other than the embezzlement investigation and his buddys porn all they got was some 55 year old woman making a phone call from her desk.
Walker is an Eagle Scout and lived through a malicious police state investigation. Which you are droolingly repeating.
NONE of Walker’s campaign staff are doing time. NONE.
One employee of the County Executive’s office was convicted of the terrible crime of commenting on news stories on government time. She was prosecuted in an attempt to get her to implicate Walker telling her to make the comments as part of her job.
Another county staffer was convicted of stealing from a veteran’s fund he oversaw, but the investigation was started at the request of then County Executive Scott Walker when is office discovered money was missing.
During the course of the investigation, the boyfriend of a gay Republican party activist was found to have been involved with a 17 year old and ended up with a minor criminal conviction, but he was not on Walker’s staff.
Walker has been subject to a star chamber inquisition by the Milwaukee County DA for years and they haven’t gotten anything.
WEDC failed, but it replaced a failed department. At least Walker and the legislature tried something new. The grants and loans have been part of Wisconsin government for decades, the only thing that changed was the agency.
On top of that, this article was a hit piece designed to help the democrat candidate for governor.
I don’t get the Walker derangement from some on this site. I’ve known him for more than 20 years and he is what he appears.
An audit of the WEDC is a police state investigation?
19 million taxpayer dollars was paid to Walker’s supporters and that doesn’t bother you? That money was supposed to create jobs but didn’t and that doesn’t bother you?
Walker created WEDC and the companies that it is supporting are sending jobs overseas. Wisconsin is Dead Last in job creation in the Midwest and lagging behind the rest of the country.
By the way, there were several people convicted of crimes from Walker’s campaign staff and the charges included embezzlement. The woman you mentioned is still out on appeal, some got fined and probation and one served time.
If any of Cruz’s staff have ever been indicted, a google search didn’t turn up anything. It would have been widely reported.
BTW, the Walker investigation is not over. If the feds get in, he will no longer have the protection of a state prosecutor who supported his campaign.
Some received fines and probation, the woman you mentioned was still on appeal, one guy did time.
The “poor woman” was actively campaigning for Walker on state time from her state job.
When is Walker going to get concerned about the 19 million taxpayer dollars he paid to his supporters through the WEDC?
And you think that the Feds haven’t tried to get in. I am quite sure that Eric Holder and the Obama DOJ tried their hardest to find ANYTHING to stick to Walker.
-—An audit of the WEDC is a police state investigation?
You were unclear and seemed to be discussing the John Doe. You are apparently unaware of late night police raids of conservatives as part of the John Doe.
-—That money was supposed to create jobs but didnt and that doesnt bother you?
The allegations about jobs being exported was DEBUNKED. We Wisconsin conservatives recognize WEDC is not working but Walker should get some credit for attempting an innovative approach to a continually failing area in WI government. You should have seen the crap that his predecessor did.
-—Republicans acknowledged the need for WEDC reform but defended the agency’s tools that have in fact played a pivotal role in bringing some jobs and companies to Wisconsin.
Republicans also pointed out that things were not so great under former Gov. Jim Doyle’s Department of Commerce, the precursor to WEDC. Transparency issues abounded there as well, especially under former Secretary Mary Burke. -—
http://www.maciverinstitute.com/2015/05/joint-finance-approves-changes-to-wedc-dhs-budgets/
-—Wisconsin is Dead Last in job creation in the Midwest and lagging behind the rest of the country.
-—Wisconsin has a 4.4 percent unemployment rate and has higher employment then the countrys average.
Additionally, the state’s labor force participation rate of 68 percent outpaced the national rate of 62.8 percent.——
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2015/unemployment/150521_april_state.pdf
A little tough to show dramatic job creation when you are at nearly FULL EMPLOYMENT. If you google Wisconsin and jobs try to avoid just reviewing drooling lefty sites.
-—the Walker investigation is not over. If the feds get in, he will no longer have the protection of a state prosecutor who supported his campaign.
Again, you show complete ignorance of this issue. The John Doe has already been been stopped in Federal Court with PREJUDICE to the legal theory underlying it. It is currently before the WI Supreme Court where it is expected to be deemed an unlawful prosecution of Free Speech. The lead witch hunter is the Milwaukee Cty DA who hired someone who SAYS he is a Republican (but no records can be found to substiate that) to be the ‘lead prosecutor and there is NO evidence the alleged Republican supported Walkers campaign.
BTW heres that lead prosecutors LAWYER walking back Schmitz unfounded statement about Walker.
——Randall Crocker, the lawyer for special prosecutor Francis Schmitz, noted the investigation has been halted, saying, At the time the investigation was halted, Governor Walker was not a target of the investigation. At no time has he been served with a subpoena.-—
You Texans ought to understand crap-filled political witch hunts.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/16/texas-gov-perry-indicted-for-coercion-for-veto-threat/
-—Walkers campaign staff and the charges included embezzlement.
Yes, embezzlement that Walkers staff detected and ASKED TO BE INVESTIGATED.
-——But Nardelli told Chisholm that he was surprised that investigators had seized the computer of former Walker aide Darlene Wink and were attempting to do the same with Timothy D. Russell, a longtime Walker confidante. Nardelli accused Chisholm of using “a backdoor effort to look at a computer of someone who wasn’t even assigned to this office during the period in question.”
“We requested this investigation. Why did you request a John Doe?” Nardelli wrote. “What is your motive in doing so? ——
-—The poor woman was actively campaigning for Walker on state time from her state job.
Again you show your ignorance of the details of this. She was actually campaigning for Brett Davis, an unsuccessful candidate for LT Governor.
****The 45-year-old Columbus resident is appealing her October 2012 felony conviction of misconduct in public office. She was found guilty of campaigning on the government clock for Brett Davis, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.
The recent court-ordered release of thousands of Rindfleischs emails and related documents show her communicating with Davis campaign. But Rindfleisch noted that she used her own computer, phone and email, although she didnt leave the government building to do so.****
Gimbel said his client got caught doing what has gone on in politics since the birth of this nation.
I think that Kelly has had more attention paid to her in the grand scheme of things than was justified, said Gimbel, who has practiced law for more than 50 years. She was not elected to an office. She wasnt a high-priced government worker. She got caught in the switches, a violation of the rules in a practice that probably has been engaged in since going back to the time of George Washington.***
http://watchdog.org/136006/kelly-rindfleisch-john-doe-political/
The funneling money to supporters is lefty bull(** too.
I have to agree with you Thunder. If Obama and Holder had anything to nail Walker with,they most certainly would have done so already.
I have to agree with you Thunder. If Obama and Holder had anything to nail Walker with,they most certainly would have done so already.
Maybe you missed it. The current prosecutor just received the result of the Audit on WEDC at the end of last month. He was waiting for that audit to be complete before investigating the findings and other evidence that has been turned over to him. His investigation has just begun.
Why would they jump the gun on Walker? Strategically it is to their advantage to wait until Walker is on the ticket.
The prosecutor has just begun his investigation into WEDC. Stay tuned.
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