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Appleton Coated mill may close, workers get layoff notice

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The Appleton Coated paper mill in Combined Locks could close, and almost all of the workers were notified that they’ll be laid off.

About 600 people work there.

The company that was running the mill sent a letter to employees Wednesday. The company went into receivership, and the letter says operations will be winding down because of the results of an auction.

An Outagamie County judge will decide Friday whether to finalize the sale to a company named Industrial Assets.

The mill has been in Combined Locks for over 100 years.

WHBY

Walker signs Foxconn incentive bill

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Gov. Scott Walker at Gateway Technical College.

Governor Scott Walker has signed a $3 billion incentive package aimed at helping Foxconn build an LCD factory in southeastern Wisconsin.

Walker signed the bill Monday afternoon during a ceremony at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, during which he said the proposed $10 billion facility the company hopes to build will mean more for the state than just the 13,000 people who could eventually work there.

“I believe that we can produce the talent and the supply chain and the tools and the opportunities to make this not just successful, but to make it one of the most successful ventures in the history of the world,” he said.

Walker said he believes the bill, the largest incentive package offered to a foreign company in U.S. history, will help attract other new developments and talent to the state as well. “Our quest in doing this is to send a message not to just employers, but to send a message to talent…that this is a place, that Foxconn picked us, you should pick Wisconsin to come work at,” the governor said.

The legislation includes tax credits for Foxconn, along with changes in the state permitting process and environmental reviews for the proposed factory. It’s expected to help the state finish negotiating a contract with the company, which has not yet announced a possible location for the facility.

DATCP warns consumers in wake of Equifax data breach

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Phone scams are the next risk in the wake of last week’s Equifax data breach, and state consumer protection officials want people to be aware of that prospect. An event of this scale is sure to bring scammers out of the woodwork, and one of the potential risks at this point is con artists preying on consumers through misinformation, according to Frank Frassetto, Administrator at the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection at DATCP.

Frassetto says neither Equifax nor any bank will call you and request your Social Security number or other sensitive information. So if you receive an unsolicited call, hang up and don’t engage. “Look at information that we have on our website regarding the data breach and what to do,” Frassetto says. “It’s a fact sheet that gives you a ton of information on steps that you can take.”

Equifax revealed last week that a security breach may have compromised the privacy of as many as 143 million consumers in the U.S.

Governor Walker to sign Foxconn incentive bill

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Governor Scott Walker is scheduled to sign a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn later today.

A signing ceremony has been scheduled for this afternoon at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant.

The bill provides tax incentives and other changes in state law to help the Taiwanese electronics maker build an LCD factory somewhere in southeastern Wisconsin. Foxconn says the $10 billion facility could eventually employ up to 13,000 workers.

The company has not yet announced a location for the plant.

Potential buyer for shuttered Janesville GM plant

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The Janesville GM plant. (Photo: WCLO)

A St. Louis industrial property redeveloper is working to buy out Janesville’s shuttered General Motors assembly plant.

The City of Janesville announced Friday that Commercial Development Corp. has a contract to buy the defunct plant property from GM, and it could close on the sale by the end of the year pending a 75-day due diligence period during which the company would learn more about the state of the plant and its redevelopment prospects.

Commercial Development has redeveloped about 175 sites in the United States and it’s had a history of buying post-industrial properties like the GM site.  Janesville officials say the company plans to invest significant resources to re-position the property for vibrant future use.

WCLO

Incentive package for Foxconn heads to the governor

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The state Assembly has given final approval to a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn. The bill approved Thursday afternoon is designed to help the Taiwanese electronics maker build an LCD factory in southeastern Wisconsin, which backers say could eventually employ up 13,000 workers and spark a whole new range of support industries in the state.

Debate on the bill at the Capitol went on for nearly three hours, with several Democrats describing it as a a corporate give-away that could take decades to pay-off for the state. “We will not break even, under the best case scenario, for 25 years,” argued Rep. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie), referencing a study that showed the state may not pay-off the tax incentives being offered until 2042.

Rep. Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire), a Democratic candidate for governor, said the bill sets up a situation where the state will be creating an entity that’s “too big to fail.”

Republicans defended the measure as a transformational opportunity for the state, while noting that the bill includes protections to ensure Foxconn must create jobs and begin building in the state in order to claim the benefits of the package. “It’s rigged in favor of the taxpayer,” said Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). “Because we have protections built into the system to guarantee not a dollar is spent until people cash a paycheck or a shovel is in the ground.”

The bill passed on a bipartisan 64-31 vote, with four Democrats joining all but two Republicans in supporting the legislation. Rep. Jason Fields (D-Glendale), who was a no vote when the Assembly took up the bill before the Senate made changes, said he changed his mind because of the possible job opportunities the bill could offer to young African Americans in Milwaukee. “It’s about leadership, legacy, and looking myself in the mirror,” he said. “If I get up here and don’t take the opportunity to advocate and fight for African American men, then what the hell am I doing?”

The bill now goes to Governor Scott Walker, who is expected to sign it into law.

Wisconsin Senate passes Foxconn incentive package

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The state Senate has approved a $3 billion incentive package designed to pave the way for Taiwanese electronic components maker Foxconn to build a plant in Wisconsin. Tuesday’s Senate vote on the measure was 20-13, with Green Bay Republican Rob Cowles a no, and Kenosha Democrat Bob Wirch a yes.

Majority Leader, Senator Scott Fitzgerald, said he was glad lawmakers “pumped the brakes” on the process. “There was a lot of pressure early on . . . but I think we’ve improved this bill significantly, with the changes we have made.”

A Republican amendment tightens job creation requirements for Foxconn to collect tax credits — Democrat Jon Erpenbach said that’s not enough. “All this legislation essentially says is three billion dollars going to a foreign owned corporation that is promising a certain number of jobs, maybe,” Erpenbach said. He noted that it will be up to the Wisconsin Economic Development Authority to negotiate terms of an actual contract with the Taiwanese firm.

“I think the last thing we should be doing, given their track record, is to be giving WEDC $3 billion and saying ‘have at it.'” Erpenbach also termed environmental protection provisions in the bill “a piece of crap.”

Republican proponents of the deal, most notably Governor Scott Walker, have touted Foxconn’s potential to create up to 13,000 jobs, with salaries starting at about $54,000.

“There are no specific numbers of jobs, anywhere in any of the pieces of paper that are about to become law,” said Alma Democrat Kathleen Vinehout. “And the threshold for the amount that a person gets paid is $30,000 . . . not $54,000.”

“It’s a good investment,” argued River Hills Republican Alberta Darling. “It has the transparencies and accountabilities it needs.”

Another GOP amendment altered a controversial provision inserted by the Republican controlled Joint Finance Committee just last week. It would maintain the appeals court role in any lawsuits filed over decisions related to the economic development zone where the project is located.

The JFC provision would have kicked all such appeals directly to the state Supreme Court. Cowles joined Democrats in voting against the amendment, which still streamlines the appeals process.

“There’s nothing sinister,” said Racine Republican Van Wanggaard. “The idea here is to get this project moving forward. We have people here who don’t want this project slowed down, because they want the jobs.”

The Assembly approved an earlier version of the bill, and members will have to take up the latest changes. That’s expected to happen on Thursday.

 

 

Governor Scott Walker in Japan for trade mission

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Governor Scott Walker

Governor Scott Walker is visiting with leaders in Japan and South Korea this week.

Walker arrived in Tokyo to begin an eight-day trade mission to the region. The goal of the visit is to boost state exports and encourage companies from both countries to consider making investment in Wisconsin.

Walker says it’s a good opportunity to build on decisions by other company’s to open facilities in Wisconsin, including Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn and gummy bear maker Haribo. “Wisconsin is receiving international attention for attracting companies like Foxconn and Haribo to the state,” the governor said in a statement “This trade mission is a great opportunity to build upon that momentum.”

The governor is traveling with officials from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and eight Wisconsin-based companies.

Mining bill set for public hearing in Ladysmith

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Lawmakers will hold a public hearing on mining, Thursday in northern Wisconsin. A proposal to end Wisconsin’s so-called “mining moratorium” — which requires companies provide proof that they have operated nonpolluting mines before they begin operating in the state — gets a hearing at the Ladysmith High School Auditorium.

Ladysmith is home to the Flambeau Mine, which operated between 1993 and 1997.

Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) and Representative Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), the bill’s authors, argue that Wisconsin has comprehensive mining laws in place.

“We’re not bypassing any type of process, to allow any mining company to come into the state of Wisconsin, by doing anything other than following the permitting process,” Hutton said last month. “It will probably take up to four to five years before there is a shovel in the ground, and we’re simply saying ‘let’s allow that process to begin.’”

The Republican lawmakers also argue that mining could bring much needed jobs to northern Wisconsin.

The proposed legislation is viewed with alarm by an environmental group. “The reason we’re so concerned is that, according to the EPA, sulfide mining is the most toxic industry in America,” said Kerry Schuman, executive director of the League of Conservation Voters.

Gordy’s sends notice of possible layoffs

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More than 1,000 Gordy’s Markets employees could be facing layoffs. The company is currently controlled by a receiver, which sent notice to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development of possible mass layoffs.

The receiver is trying to find a buyer, but if it can’t do so in sixty days, the jobs may be permanently eliminated. State law requires notification of large-scale layoffs.

Gordy’s has already closed some of its least-profitable locations in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Hayward, and announced plans earlier this month to close additional stores in Stanley, Spencer and Richland Center.

Two other locations, one in Tomah and two others in Eau Claire, will be bought by Festival Foods. October 27 is the deadline for Gordy’s to find a buyer for the other stores.

WSAU