Wisconsin AFL-CIO Outlines Key Principles for a Good Foxconn Deal

Family-supporting wages, strong workplace safety, freedom to stand together as a team in union are hallmarks of good job creation

As the Wisconsin Legislature begins a special session to adopt a multi-billion-dollar incentive package to subsidize Foxconn, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO is outlining key principles that must be included in order for the deal to be fair for Wisconsin workers and taxpayers.  

The Foxconn incentive package should be inked with ironclad protections for taxpayers, local governments, and Wisconsin workers. Any deal must support good job creation standards, a safe workplace and the American freedom to stand together as a team with your coworkers to form a union.

“Working people deserve the same freedom corporate CEOs have: the freedom to negotiate a fair return on our work so we can provide for our families,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “In Wisconsin, we have a proud history of making things and providing a fair return on work. All workers within the Electronics and Information Technology Manufacturing Zone must have the full American right to assemble and organize collectively as a team in union to negotiate without fear of retaliation. High-quality, good-paying jobs are the key to healthy communities.”

“For the Foxconn deal to be a winner, Wisconsin workers must be prioritized, safety standards have to be high, wages from the top to the bottom are livable wages and the freedom to stand together in union is honored,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “Wisconsinites have the responsibility to watch with an eagle-eye to ensure that any Foxconn deal is an upward boost to wages rather than a downward driver. A real win means that Wisconsin workers are on the job full-time with a family-supporting wage, affordable health insurance, a safe place to work and the ability to balance work with life.”  

Wisconsin’s workers are in need of real economic opportunity. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has consistently advocated for economic development that spurs job creation and includes rights and protections for workers, “Buy Wisconsin” principles, increased technical college and training program grants, investments in infrastructure, and general aid to schools and municipalities.

View the Wisconsin AFL-CIO principles that should be included in any taxpayer-sponsored incentive package to subsidize the private corporation of Foxconn.