Friday, March 18, 2011

Sequiter: It Really Does Follow

Did you hear the latest out of Wisconsin? Check these stories out:

Stoughton Trailers To Reopen Plant

Stoughton Trailers plans to get back into the business of producing domestic rail containers and truck chassis with up to 300 employees at its closed Evansville plant.

The new product lines also could mean adding jobs at the company's plants in Stoughton and Brodhead.

Illinois Company Relocating To Wisconsin

A border war has broken out as an Illinois company decides to take its business to Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker made the announcement Thursday morning.

It seems Wisconsin is aggressively trolling for new businesses and new jobs. A cold call from Wisconsin's lieutenant governor started a dialogue. And, from a business perspective, the company's owner says it was an offer too good to pass up.

It's amazing how business flourishes when unions are not involved in the process.

I know, it's only two businesses out of many. But it is a start and hopefully businesses that went down because the union wouldn't budge can reconsider reopening their doors. And hopefully more businesses will bail out of Illinois where taxes continue to rise, while programs are not cut and unions write their own tickets.

It's not that I wish the people of Illinois any ill will. It's just that I cannot stand states that refuse to look out after their citizens, while bending over backwards for union thugs and every other thug-like special interest group that makes noise.

6 comments:

Greg said...

Does the new collective bargaining law apply to private unions? I thought it only applied to public unions.

In any case, it should be obvious that a business-friendly environment will attract business, and a high-tax/high-regulation environment will tend to chanse off business. Here in Mass., we regularly lose jobs to NH and RI. Fidelity just took 1,000 Mass. jobs to those states this week.

A.C. McCloud said...

Memphis is getting Electrolux and another industrial company, both relocating from up north (one being from Canada). Good transportation hub, fairly skilled labor, not a militant union town, low state taxes. Matter of fact, Norfolk Southern is building a major trans-loading hub east of town here, too. Our current mayor, who helped snag this biz, is about 1000 times better than his predecessor, thank heaven.

Chuck said...

Cheer up Illinois, look at all of the hotel business you are getting from Wisconsin.

LA Sunset said...

I don't think it does, Greg. That's one reason why I cannot believe the rhetoric coming out of the union lobby. And it only restricts their right to bargain for benefits. What a damned shame that government workers will now have to pay as much we do for retirement and health insurance.

Taxes being low can attract business. Taxes cannot be low if government employees are making more and getting better benefits than those in the private sector. And they can't stay low if they keep strong arming the taxpayers for more every time their contracts are up.

I don't begrudge them a living wage and they will still be able to bargain for that. But this is a pissing contest that the unions have chosen to engage in, because they see their popularity sinking.

LA Sunset said...

AC,

Good for Memphis. If things were different in my life right now, I'd seriously consider moving to Tennessee. I could get a job fairly easily.

LA Sunset said...

Outstanding observation Chuck. But do not forget the business they're getting from Indiana too. No end in sight for this one either.

Just think if the GOP had done this when they were in the minority. You know the bastards in the media would have led with this story every night.