Making Wisconsin a Better Place to Work and Do Business

Fighting to Keep Jobs in Wisconsin

View Endorsements

"Until recently, the state of Wisconsin was recognized as the #1 manufacturing state in the country. But because of unfair and unbalanced trade and other agreements, many of Wisconsin's jobs have been shipped down the river, over the border, and across the sea. I am hearing this not just from the working people as I have for so many years. I am now hearing this from conservative manufacturers, Republican manufacturers, who are saying, 'we need fair trade not free trade.'"

Legislative Efforts

Senator Feingold voted against NAFTA, GATT, Fast Track, and Most Favored Nation status for China, because he believed they would cause Wisconsin to lose industrial jobs, manufacturing jobs, and family farms. Unfortunately, he was right. In the past 3 years, Wisconsin has lost over 84,000 manufacturing jobs (source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development) because of unfair and unbalanced trade policies fueled by unregulated soft money donations.

Helping Small Businesses Compete:

-Senator Feingold voted for HR 3448, the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 to provide tax relief to small businesses and protect jobs.

-In March of 1996, Senator Feingold voted for passage of S.942, the Small Business Regulatory Reform Bill that provided relief from excessive and arbitrary regulatory enforcement actions against small businesses.

-In May of 2003, Senator Feingold reintroduced the Settlement Encouragement and Fairness Act (S. 1117) to help small businesses and others who prevail in an enforcement action against them collect attorney fees from the government.

-In July of 2003, Senator Feingold introduced the Feingold-Brownback amendment to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue rules ensuring that small businesses can stay competitive with deregulated holding companies.

-Senator Feingold co-sponsored the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration (S 2364) in July of 1998.

Protecting Businesses and Employees by Fighting for Affordable Health Care: Senator Feingold introduced legislation to help employers and employees cover the cost of health care and to improve the quality of that care. The Promoting Health Care Cooperatives Act of 2003 (S. 39) would establish grants for groups of businesses to form group-purchasing cooperatives. Establishing such cooperatives would leverage businesses' ability to obtain enhanced benefits, reduce health care rates, and would improve the overall quality of health care.

Fighting for a Fair Medicare System that Reduces Health Care Costs for Business: Under the current Medicare system, Wisconsin residents pay the same Medicare payroll taxes as the rest of the country, but receive fewer benefits. In fact, because of the unfair formula that determines Medicare reimbursement, the state loses about $1 billion a year. That shortfall is a major factor, which contributes to the insurance rate hikes that so many businesses in Wisconsin continue to face. In order to fix this very serious problem, Senator Feingold introduced Medicare Fairness legislation that would fix the formula, and bring more federal Medicare dollars back to Wisconsin. There is still a lot of work that must be done, but Senator Feingold has already been instrumental in passing Senate legislation that would result in an additional $250 million in federal Medicare dollars over the next ten years for Wisconsin.

Strengthening the Buy American Act: Senator Feingold introduced the Buy American Improvement Act (S.1480), which will reinforce the 1933 Buy American Act, making it significantly harder for government agencies to buy goods that are manufactured overseas. It would also make government agencies more accountable by requiring them to provide Congress, and the American people, records of the frequency with which they circumvent the law in order to buy goods that are not made by American companies.

Maintaining Production, Providing Incentives: Senator Feingold strongly supports the Job Protection Act (S.970), which repeals the current tax subsidy for so-called foreign sales corporations that rewards them by allowing exports to other countries even when some of the exports are produced overseas. Senator Feingold is working to replace this subsidy with a new tax cut designed to encourage manufacturers to maintain U.S. production and to return jobs to the United States.

Creating Jobs: In 1993, Senator Feingold cosponsored S.309, the Rural Jobs and Investment Act, to provide short-term stimulus to promote job creation in rural areas. In addition, Senator Feingold voted for HR.1617, the Workforce Development Act, in May of 1995. This act consolidated employment training and vocational education and maintains the Job Corps as a national program.

Opposing Mandatory Arbitration: Senator Feingold has led the Senate in seeking to eliminate mandatory arbitration clauses that deprive citizens of their right to take a dispute to court even before a case arises. He cosponsored the Motor Vehicle Franchise Contract Arbitration Fairness Act (S. 1020), introduced by Senator Grassley (R-IA) in May of 1999, which would prevent mandatory arbitration of disputes between motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers and allow dealers to take their case to court.

Providing the Dollars for Brownfield Cleanup and Economic Development:

-Senator Feingold supported the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001, a bipartisan bill providing national brownfields cleanup and redevelopment in urban areas. This legislation expands tax incentives for federal brownfields coverage and places brownfields revitalization in a special attention category separate from Superfund. The goal is to stimulate the economies of these communities by attracting new residents and businesses partially through brownfields improvements.

-Senator Feingold announced in June of 1999 that West Allis and West Milwaukee received a grant of $200,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for brownfields cleanup.

-Senator Feingold voted for an amendment to the 2003 Budget Bill that would increase funding for environmental protection and natural resource conservation, including adding funds for brownfields and Superfund clean-up programs.

-Senator Feingold voted in support of an amendment to the Fiscal 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that would provide $100 million from the Superfund trust fund for cleanup of brownfield sites.

Committed to Redeveloping Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley: In May of 2002, Senator Feingold worked to secure an EPA grant of $1 million to help fund the cleanup of contaminated properties in Milwaukee. In June of 2003, Senator Feingold secured an additional $140,000 in federal money for a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers study of the Menomonee Valley industrial district.

Demanding Fiscal Responsibility: Senator Feingold has been repeatedly honored by the non-partisan watchdog group, the Concord Coalition, for his efforts for fiscally responsible budgeting since he was first elected in 1992. Most recently, the Concord Coalition honored Feingold as the second best budget hawk, and the top Democrat, in the US Senate for the 107th Congress (2001-2002).

The National Taxpayers Union, another non-partisan watchdog group, recognized Senator Feingold as the only Senator, Republican or Democrat, that had an agenda that actually reduced federal spending. This was the first time ever that they recognized a Democrat whose budget reduced federal spending the most.

Endorsements

- Save American Manufacturing Endorses US Senator Russ Feingold
- Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Councils Endorse Feingold
- International Union of Operating Engineers Endorses Russ Feingold for U.S. Senate
- Wisconsin Laborers District Council Endorses Feingold
- Sheet Metal Workers of Wisconsin Endorse Feingold
- Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers District Council of Wisconsin Endorses Feingold
- Wisconsin State Council of Carpenters Endorses Feingold
- Ironworkers Union of Wisconsin Endorses Feingold
- Boilermakers Union of Wisconsin District Council Endorses Feingold
- Wisconsin Teamsters Endorse Feingold
- Pipe Trades Association of Wisconsin Endorses Feingold
- United Autoworkers Endorse Feingold
- Steelworkers Endorse Feingold
- PACE International Union Endorses Feingold
- Wisconsin State Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Endorse Senator Feingold
- Painters Union Endorses Feingold
- Unite Here Endorses Feingold
- National Association of Social Workers PACE Endorse Senator Feingold
- Wisconsin Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen/Teamsters Endorse Feingold
- United Food and Commercial Workers Endorse Feingold
- Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals Endorse Feingold
- Amalgamated Transit Union Endorses Senator Feingold
- American Postal Workers Union
- American Federation of Teachers
- Service Employees International Union
- Treasury Employees PAC
- Wisconsin Citizen Action
- Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

Read More:

Feingold looks at health, jobs, (Rhinelander Daily News, August 26, 2004)

Health care costs vs. business health, (Capital Times, August 13, 2004)

Feingold pushing for revamping of health care system, laws to strengthen U.S. jobs, (Superior Daily Telegram, August 12, 2004)

Feingold makes jobs, health care his top priorities, (Ashland Daily Press, August 11, 2004)

U.S. Sen. Feingold takes look at city's Main Street program, (Watertown Daily Times, August 7, 2004)

Feingold Talks with Locals About Jobs, (Kenosha News, August 5, 2004)