Scott Walker Takes In At Least $68,500 From 11 Corporations That Outsourced Jobs, Administration Continues To Defend Companies That Outsource

As Scott Walker continues to launch attacks on a successful Wisconsin business, and his administration defends giving tax breaks to outsourcing companies, the latest campaign finance reports show the Walker campaign took in at least $68,500 in the last six months alone from companies that outsourced jobs.

According to reports from WKOW, Walker’s most recent campaign finance filing showed he received at least $68,500 over the last six months from at least 11 corporations that outsourced jobs to foreign countries.

Report details show WellPoint, a health insurance company, gave $15,000 to Scott Walker’s campaign through their corporate political action committee. Caterpillar Manufacturing, 3M, and the tax consulting firm Deloitte all gave $10,000 through their corporate PACs.

In addition, Walker received donations ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 from Coca-Cola, Pfizer, PepsiCo, J.P. Morgan Chase, Hewlett-Packard, General Motors and CenturyLink.

Records from the U.S. Department of Labor show all eleven companies have had successful claims filed against them for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Only workers who can prove they’ve lost their job due to outsourcing are eligible for TAA benefits.

The news comes on the heels of Walker’s chief jobs officer, Reed Hall, defending the state’s flagship jobs agency doling out taxpayer money to companies who send Wisconsin jobs overseas. 

WEDC handed out millions in taxpayer dollars to Eaton Corp if it met job creation and retention goals. In 2013, Eaton laid off 163 employees and moved their jobs to Mexico. Less than a year later, WEDC handed over another $1.36 million in additional tax credits to Eaton Corp.

Walker’s flagship jobs agency also awarded Plexus Corp. up to $2 million in tax credits in 2011 and another $15 million in 2012 to create Wisconsin jobs. In July of 2012, Plexus announced it was laying off 116 employees – workers who would later receive TAA benefits. 

Last week, Hall defended WEDC’s support of outsourcing saying, “We are in a global marketplace and some companies, to be successful financially, need to outsource.”  

Hall didn’t show an ounce of real remorse when defending the Walker administration’s support for sending Wisconsin jobs overseas saying, “I’m sorry that they temporarily had to outsource some jobs, but I think ultimately over the long-term its gonna be a great win for Wisconsin with both these companies.” 

“Scott Walker has the nerve to attack a successful Wisconsin-based company while his administration continues to defend its support of outsourcing jobs,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Wednesday. “The more we find out about Walker’s ties to outsourcing, the more it’s clear why his administration defends their support: in Walker’s Wisconsin you have to pay to play.”