ST. PAUL, MN—In light of legislation passed by the Wisconsin State Senate and being debated in the Wisconsin State Assembly that would make Wisconsin a "Right To Work" state, Job Growth and Energy Affordability Committee Chairman Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, has extended an invitation to two Wisconsin businesses offering assistance relocating their headquarters to Minnesota.
The letters were sent to the owners of Hoffman Construction and Rock Road Companies, Inc., two construction companies who primarily handle road construction projects in the Midwest. Both are union contractors who privately contract with the International Union of Operating Engineers.
"Wisconsin's Right To Work legislation would negatively impact the private contracts between these companies and the unions they have voluntarily decided to partner with," Garofalo said. "It's heavy-handed and the wrong for Wisconsin to inject government into these private contractual relationships that has worked well for private companies for decades."
Bill Kennedy, owner of Rock Road Companies, Inc. testified in front of a Senate panel late last month in opposition to the Right to Work proposal, and was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal as saying “This bill will hurt the way I and many of my counterparts do business. We work in partnership with our local unions. […] This process has worked for many decades.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also detailed opposition from James Hoffman, the owner of Hoffman Construction.
"Minnesota's construction industry is among the most efficient and productive in the nation, and I welcome the opportunity to bring these headquarters to Minnesota," Garofalo concluded.
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