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Wisconsin Laborers' District Council Criticizes Sen. Larson
Milwaukee state Sen. Chris Larson has found himself on the other end of one of the state’s most powerful labor unions.
The Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council on Tuesday ripped Larson for his public opposition to We Energies’ planned power plant in Oak Creek.
“While Senator Larson has long stated that he is a defender of unions, the fact of the matter is that you can’t support unions if you oppose many of the projects that put our members to work,” Kent Miller the President and Business Manager of the Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council said.
Larson went on the record opposing the new plant, even though he said he supports the hundreds or thousands of jobs that it would create.
“We want to be clear: we strongly support building public infrastructure in the interest of economic security and to create good, union jobs, but we know there are better ways to create those jobs without jeopardizing our environment, climate, and future economy,” Larson said in his testimony. “For example, we would strongly support a proposal from We Energies to build large-scale wind, solar, or energy storage projects that are guaranteed to pay prevailing wages to union workers. Instead, this is a reinvestment in a technology that is almost certainly part of the problem, not the solution.”
“While we agree that any infrastructure project should be done with union labor and LIUNA members are helping lead the way to build utility scale solar and wind projects throughout Wisconsin, Miller added. “The demand for energy exceeds the current supply, and we need natural gas to serve as a bridge to help power our homes and businesses.”
The union says Larson has opposed several other private construction or energy projects across Wisconsin.
The proposed Oak Creek plant is expected to create between 2,000 and 5,000 jobs during construction. LIUNA represents just over 9,000 union construction workers in the state.
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