Shopko outsourced Wisconsin jobs after taking money from WEDC

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http://www.wkow.com/story/32077825/2016/05/26/shopko-outsourced-wisconsin-jobs-after-taking-money-from-wedc#.V0kRuw4Im-c.twitter

Shopko outsourced Wisconsin jobs after taking money from WEDC



By Greg Neumann
Connect
Posted: May 26, 2016 7:30 PM CST
Updated: May 26, 2016 10:38 PM CST


MADISON (WKOW) -- Another company that has received millions of dollars in tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has since outsourced Wisconsin jobs overseas.

Since 2012, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has awarded $2 million to Specialty Retail Shops Holding Corporation, a subsidiary of Sun Capital that serves as the parent company to Shopko, which is headquartered in Green Bay. $1 million of that award was for job creation tax credits.
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This is just the latest example of a company outsourcing Wisconsin jobs after receiving taxpayer dollars from WEDC...............


A 27 News investigation from July 2014 found that Eaton Corp. had received over $190,000 in WEDC tax credits despite laying off 163 employees at its Cooper Power Systems plant in Pewaukee in April 2013. The company moved those jobs to Mexico.


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After Thursday's revelations about Shopko, WEDC Board member and State Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) told 27 News it troubles him that the same pattern continues.

"Our goal was to put the onus on the company to make us informed when they are outsourcing jobs and I'm not clear that that's going on now," said Rep. Barca. "But I think that we do need to tighten our systems."

A WEDC spokesperson told 27 News that the current contract for Specialty Retail Stores Holding Corp. expires in October and if the company fails to meet the deliverables of their contract, including not maintaining jobs in Wisconsin, the agency will recover funds through the penalty provisions contained in the agreement.

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