(June 4, 2021 MILWAUKEE, WI) -- Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement on the announcement by Los Angeles-based OpenGate Capital that they intend to ship production and over 150 Wisconsin jobs to Mexico by closing the Hufcor plant in Janesville. Workers at the facility proudly manufacture made-in-America partition dividers for convention centers and other spaces. The Hufcor facility has been in Janesville for over 100 years. Many workers at the facility have over 20 years of service at the plant.
“What is happening at Hufcor in Janesville is a stark example of an economic system that is rigged against working people. Big-moneyed, out-of-state private equity firms like LA-based OpenGate Capital swoop in and buy local, profitable businesses only to then turn their backs on workers and our local communities by closing down and shipping our jobs out of the country. It’s unpatriotic and OpenGate should be ashamed.
The men and women of IUE-CWA Local 84811 who have worked at Hufcor for years and in many cases decades are mounting a brave and courageous fight back to save good jobs in Janesville and across our country. Workers of IUE-CWA Local 84811 are taking a stand for the heart and soul of America. Union workers are taking a stand and raising our voice to save the American middle class. The workers of Hufcor and the workers of Wisconsin are the backbone of America. Workers are the engine that drives all economic growth. Unions raise living standards, build our middle class, and we will always fight for good jobs for all.”
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