In order for the Foxconn deal to be a winner for Wisconsin, it must work for Wisconsin workers and taxpayers. The Foxconn incentive package should be inked with ironclad protections for taxpayers, local governments, and Wisconsin workers. Currently, the Foxconn bill, AU7 AB 1 and AU7 SB 1, is silent on worker protections, safety standards and the freedom to join a union.
At the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, we’re calling on the Wisconsin Legislature to fix the Foxconn deal and include provisions outlined in our Statement of Principles for a Fair Foxconn Deal that put Wisconsin workers first, support workers’ rights, ensure livable wages, expand our education and training pipeline and protect safety on the job.
Join us in calling on the legislature to make sure that Foxconn jobs put Wisconsin workers first by hiring Wisconsin workers at a family-supporting wage with the full freedom to organize a union without retaliation. It is imperative that the legislature amends the bill to include a real and meaningful “Wisconsin First” amendment to guarantee that Wisconsin’s workers (not out of state or out of country), builders, and industries get the work.
The Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy has scheduled an Executive Session for the Foxconn bill today, Monday, August 14, at 3:00 p.m. Legislators need to hear from you as this bill is being pushed through at breakneck speed without time for real input from the public. Assembly leaders have indicated that a full Assembly vote could come as soon as this Thursday, August 17.
If Wisconsin taxpayers are footing a $3-billion bill to bring Foxconn to Wisconsin, we deserve ironclad protections for both workers and taxpayers. Wisconsin’s workers and taxpayers must be assured that any deal will result in the precise promised number of good family-supporting jobs, the full American right to organize a union free of retaliation, full safety protections, and good benefits. Affordable, quality healthcare benefits must be guaranteed so that taxpayers don’t end up subsidizing Foxconn if their workers qualify for BadgerCare. Wisconsin’s workers and our supply chains must be prioritized.
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