Asks For Further Action to Preserve Wisconsin Union Jobs
Appleton, Wis. – Outagamie County Executive and pro-labor populist U.S. Senate candidate Tom Nelson today praised the Green Postal Service Fleet Act introduced by Rep. Gerald Connolly that would require Oshkosh Defense to make sure that at LEAST 75 percent of new mail trucks it is producing are electric.
Nelson has been the leading advocate fighting to keep the Oshkosh jobs in Wisconsin-instead of seeing them flee in union-busting, lower-wage-seeking fashion to South Carolina.
The bill prohibits the USPS from enacting its $10 billion contract with Oshkosh Defense unless it meets the 75 percent threshold for electric vehicles, but the bill does NOT require that the vehicles be union- or Wisconsin-made. Said Nelson:
“The Green Postal Service Fleet Act introduced today is a welcome step forward. It should be passed without delay as part of our fight against the American reliance on fossil fuels. We see the ill effects of our addiction on full display at the gas pumps and through the heart-rending images from a Ukraine invasion fueled by petro-rubles.
This is a great bill. It would be even greater if it went further and ensured that Oshkosh Defense manufactured those trucks right here in Wisconsin with union labor, as the company currently plans to build those trucks in non-union South Carolina. But no matter what, I’ll continue to fight for a Blue-Green New Deal that ensures that the next generation of manufacturing produces a cleaner Earth, better-paying jobs and economic security for working families.”
