[1]Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin

I grew up watching my dad work nights at the General Motors plant in Milwaukee. He followed the path of my granddad, who worked as a steelworker at A.O. Smith after fighting in World War II.

These weren’t easy jobs, but they were good union jobs with dignity that paid a fair wage and provided a good life for me and my family. I didn’t have to worry about our next meal thanks to my dad’s hard work.

Wisconsin's history of manufacturing is personal to me, which is why I'm proud to release my plan to breathe new life into manufacturing in Wisconsin, strengthen our communities and create new jobs, strengthen our unions, and improve quality of life so that the next generation can thrive in Wisconsin.

Here is what my plan would accomplish:

→ Prioritize American manufacturing and stop shipping jobs overseas

→ Fix supply chain issues by making things at home

→ Take on unfair trade deals

→ Use tax reform to keep jobs at home and support small and medium sized manufacturers

→ Invest in 21st century manufacturing opportunities

→ Train our workforce to take on the jobs of tomorrow

→ Grow a stronger middle class by supporting labor unions

→ Revitalize Wisconsin communities that have been left behind

The only way this plan will become a reality is if all of us make our voices heard. So today I'd like to ask you to add your name to mine to show there is broad support for bringing good jobs back to Wisconsin.

Please sign my petition – say you support my plan to prioritize American manufacturing, stop shipping jobs overseas, and create good jobs here at home.

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Jobs like my dad’s shouldn’t be rare.

But unfortunately, these days they often are, thanks to politicians who have sold out American manufacturing with outsourcing and bad trade deals. As Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor, I’ve seen the same story too often: the economy is struggling, it’s hard to find good workers, unfair trade practices are disadvantageous to American workers, taxes are too high, and the supply chain isn’t working for our state’s manufacturers.

Our failure to make things at home has left us too vulnerable to global shortages that drive up prices here at home.

We also see communities in rural and urban Wisconsin that have been hit hard by the outsourcing of manufacturing. We’ve seen a sharp decline in good-paying jobs which has sent too many of our young people out of the state in search of opportunity.

Training our workers remains a top issue for Wisconsin. In fact, 60% of manufacturers said it is "very difficult" to find qualified staff to work for them. When businesses can’t find the right workers here, they too often move their business to other states, or even overseas.

Meanwhile, multi-millionaire Ron Johnson has failed to support Wisconsin businesses and jobs. He voted for a corporate tax giveaway that benefitted companies shipping jobs overseas, which wreaked havoc on our supply chain. Ron Johnson works against labor unions and actually said he wouldn’t try to get Wisconsin’s own Oshkosh Corporation, a major corporate donor for Johnson, to keep jobs in Wisconsin.

Johnson even praised outsourcing overseas, saying "it makes no sense" to keep jobs in America and praising foreign countries like China that make products "dirt cheap."

The factory where my dad worked is a strip mall now, and the factory where my granddad worked is shuttered and sitting empty. We shouldn’t accept that as inevitable – we should work to make sure the brightest days of manufacturing in Wisconsin are ahead of us, not behind us.

We need to bring good jobs back home to Wisconsin and guarantee good opportunities for everyone. I believe that Wisconsin is an amazing place for empowered workers to make the products of the future and for young people to make a fulfilled, successful life.

In the Senate, I will be committed to bringing manufacturing back to our communities and creating good jobs in the process. But first, I need your help to show that there is strong support for this important plan:

Please sign my petition today to support my plan to prioritize American manufacturing, stop shipping jobs overseas, and create good jobs here at home.

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With our proud manufacturing history and top-notch workforce, we have the unique opportunity to transform Wisconsin’s economy and take our manufacturing to greater heights.

Thanks for adding your name to show that we are together in that effort.

All my best,

Mandela

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