Wisconsin members of the United Steelworkers Unions are speaking out against comments made recently by a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Union workers protested outside of Ron Johnson’s office in Oshkosh Wednesday, after the business owner recently referred to job losses under NAFTA and other trade agreements as “creative destruction.” Johnson’s comments came during a luncheon in Madison last month, where he said there are always winners and losers in a free market capitalist system.
State USW director Michael Bolton says Wisconsin lost over 80,000 jobs because those deals allowed businesses to move operations overseas. Bolton says those jobs span a number of industries across the state, not just paper mills.
When asked about trade agreements last month during a luncheon in Madison, Johnson said there are always winners and losers in a free market capitalist system.
Johnson faces Watertown businessman David Westlake in the September primary. The winner will take on Democratic U.S. Senator Russ Feingold in November.