MADISON — Today, Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, candidate for U.S. Senate, sent a letter to Oshkosh Defense calling on them to reverse their decision to award 1,000 jobs to non-union workers in South Carolina, rather than creating jobs for workers here in Wisconsin. He also sent letters urging President Biden and Congress to intervene.

Earlier today, Mandela held a virtual press conference blasting Ron Johnson for supporting Oshkosh Defense’s efforts and saying “it’s not like we don’t have enough jobs here in Wisconsin.”

Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, candidate for U.S. Senate, made the following remarks during the press conference:

“Let’s get one thing straight: we have some of the best and most skilled workers here in Wisconsin. Despite this fact, Oshkosh Corporation has decided to deny 1,000 good-paying jobs to our workers, and ship them down to South Carolina instead. To make matters worse, Ron Johnson has directly refused to fight to bring these jobs to his own hometown. He even had the nerve to say we’ve got enough jobs here in Wisconsin and we don’t need any more.

“This is personal for me. My dad is an active member with the UAW. He spent 30 years on the assembly line, assembling catalytic converters. He would be the first to tell you that if you want something built right, build it right here in Wisconsin with our incredible union workforce. Now, the factory where he worked is a strip mall. If Ron Johnson has his way, that will be the future for all manufacturing in Wisconsin.

“I will always stand up for the middle class and put Wisconsin first. That’s why today, I sent a letter calling on the leadership at Oshkosh Defense to make these USPS trucks here in Wisconsin. I’m also calling on President Biden and members of Congress to step in and right this wrong. I started this campaign to fight for the middle class and to bring opportunity to every corner of the state. In the Senate, I will always put Wisconsin first and I will never stop fighting for what we deserve. If Ron Johnson won’t do his job, I will.”

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