Putting the brakes on job loss

Wisconsin Jobs Now Task Force identifies laundry list of items to foster job growth in the state

Story by Amanda M. Wimmer

EVERY SINGLE DAY people in Wisconsin are losing jobs.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in March 2009, Wisconsin ranked the fourth worst state in the nation with mass layoffs announced and is ranked the 43^rd worst business-friendly state, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation.

As of June, Wisconsin had an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent, which is more than double the 4.5 percent unemployment rate recorded in June 2008.

Further, earlier this year, one of the largest tax increases in state history was passed. Senate Bill 62, commonly referred to as the combined reporting bill, included more than $1.2 billion in tax increases targeted at employers in Wisconsin. As a result, the new law is costing some Wisconsin employers lots of money and costing workers jobs, according to Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac).

Hopper wants to do something about the thousands of unemployed within the state. So in March, he took the initial step and held the first of several listening sessions across the state, which included legislators and business owners brainstorming ideas about how to generate jobs in Wisconsin.

Hopper, along with Assembly Rep. Rich Zipperer (R-Pewaukee), co-chaired what they coined the Wisconsin Jobs Now Task Force to “give job providers in this state an opportunity to voice their opinions on how state government can help them create jobs and grow their businesses,” according to a 20 page report put out by the Task Force in early June.

The report explains that in the last year nearly 130,000 Wisconsin residents lost their jobs, many of which were manufacturing positions. Major employers like Harley-Davidson are among those letting workers go. But so, too, are smaller firms.

“It was businesses of all sizes,” Hopper said of the participants at the eight listening sessions held between March and May. “There were multinational large corporations and there were truly mom and pop business.”

 Reading employers pulse

HOPPER THOUGHT THE BEST WAY to find out how to bring jobs to Wisconsin was by going straight to the source – the people who hire – to ask them what makes creating positions within their companies easier. The Task Force met with more than 150 business leaders from all over the state throughout this process.

“The Task Force was created to go around and get input from job creators and to ask them the question ‘what can we do to help you create jobs?’ A lot of people focus on the negative. We wanted to look at things that we were doing well and increase them,” Hopper said.

From there, the report filled with recommendations about how to bring jobs to Wisconsin was created. The recommendations included lowering taxes, cutting spending, and streamlining policies and procedures to encourage economic growth within the state, among others.

“As our state continues to face challenges associated with a struggling economy, these Task Force recommendations should serve as guiding principals. Wisconsin leaders can use them to offer a path for our state’s future that recognizes the value of private sector jobs and places the needs of taxpayers over the wants of government,” the report outlined.

Recommendations from the task force report include measures such as expediting the permitting process, provide incentives for employers who voluntarily retrain workers, and helping small businesses afford health insurance, as examples.

Hopper realizes some of the recommendations outlined in the report come with a cost and that all can’t be put into place immediately. However, he hopes the recommendations will be seriously considered by decision makers at the state level.

“Some of the tax incentives that are on there we aren’t able to do right now, given the economic climate of the state. But we can look at ways to (give companies incentives) to hire people,” he said.

Hopper believes it would also be inexpensive to provide job training, which will help businesses retain employees.

 Have cake and eat it, too?

REP. GORDON HINTZ (R-Oshkosh), an assemblyman representing one of the three districts that make up Hopper’s Senate constituency, said he supports any initiative to help bring or create jobs in Wisconsin. But he has concerns about the cost that comes with the task force recommendations.

“They can’t have it both ways. No one raised taxes for the sake of raising taxes, they did so to balance the budget. If you were to add up every one of their proposals in terms of how much this would cost the state, it would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” Hintz said. “I think everybody’s motivations are good. We all want to do what we can. But it seems like there is a little objectivity missing and it seems to ignore the recession that the world is in right now.”

Hopper said the task force report has been made available to everyone in the state legislature, and hopes it will be used as an informational tool.

“We took the time to ask these questions; utilize it when you’re making your decisions,” Hopper said.

Ashok Rai, president and chief executive officer for Prevea Health in Green Bay, was one of the hundreds that spoke out during the round table discussions across the state. Round table sessions were held in eight locations across the state, including Green Bay.

“At the end of the day it’s hard to get change unless you know they are listening to you. I think the round table that Hopper put together you could tell he was listening,” Rai said. “This is really unique for our elected officials. I think it was productive, they should do more of it.”

And Rai believes if more listening is done and the recommendations are taken forward, Wisconsin could again become a friendly state for people to work in.

“This is not something we vote to pass. If we did, it wouldn’t pass,” Hopper said. “Instead, hopefully this will be a wake up call. We need to be supportive of people that want to hire. It’s not a republican or democrat concept. Finding people who want jobs is not partisan. It’s about all of us working together.”

Now that the task force process is complete, Hopper is sharing the findings and recommendations to everyone and anyone who will listen.

“It was a great experience to go around the state and talk to these job creators. It was discouraging in some cases. But they aren’t quitting, they are working hard,” Hopper said. “The last thing we want to be is a state people don’t want their business in and that’s where we are headed right now.”

 Amanda M. Wimmer is a freelance journalist and social media junkie from Oshkosh. She can be reached at www.twitter.com/MWgirl.