(MILWAUKEE, WI, November 19, 2021) — Touting the long and proud history of successfully manufacturing high-quality trucks with a skilled union workforce represented by UAW Local 578 members in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Gary C. Peters (D-MI) have asked for additional information on the production location decision process undertaking by USPS and Oshkosh Defense.
Expressing concerns about the decision to build the new USPS delivery vehicles in South Carolina, the Senators urge Oshkosh Corporation to “further scrutinize the final production location based on the strength of Oshkosh’s existing workforce.”
In a letter to John Pfeifer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oshkosh Corporation, and John Bryant, Vice President and President, Oshkosh Defense, Baldwin and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) write:
“Oshkosh Defense has a long and proud history of manufacturing military vehicles in Wisconsin with skilled union labor. However, we are concerned about your recent decision to manufacture the trucks in a newly acquired facility, with new hires, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. We urge you to further scrutinize the final production location based on the strength of Oshkosh’s existing workforce. Oshkosh has a longstanding and skilled workforce in Wisconsin, with robust experience in manufacturing trucks for government service. As such, we are writing to better understand the process that led to the award of the contract and the decision to produce the NGDV at a new facility in South Carolina.”
The full letter can be viewed online at Senator Baldwin’s website.
The letter closes,
“As Oshkosh Defense responds to these requests and continues to prepare for production of the NGDV, we expect Oshkosh to focus on providing good-paying jobs, and respect collective bargaining, to support communities and work toward a sustainable future.”
Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale commented on the letter, “building union is building better. UAW workers in Oshkosh have a long and successful track record of producing high-quality vehicles for the US government. Workers in Oshkosh are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides for fair wages, family-sustaining benefits and the growth of our middle class. Thank you to Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Gary Peters of Michigan for supporting the efforts to maintain high-quality union jobs in Oshkosh. We can and should be building the trucks for the United States Postal Service at the Wisconsin headquarters of Oshkosh Corporation where there is a highly skilled union workforce ready and able to build the new USPS fleet.”
