POLITICS

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes skips President Biden's Laborfest appearance to join union workers in Racine: 'That's where my priorities have been'

Sophia Voight
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes meets with supporters at the Winnebago County Democratic office in Oshkosh on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.

ASHWAUBENON - A day after sidestepping an appearance with President Joe Biden at Milwaukee's Laborfest, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said he instead went to Racine where union members have been on a three-month strike.

"We were actually in Racine taking groceries down to striking UAW workers because they had been out there for about 120 days or more," Barnes told reporters Tuesday at a campaign event for organized labor, held at Hinterland Brewery in Ashwaubenon. "That's where my priorities have been."

Republicans called out Barnes on social media for missing the president's visit while on Tuesday Republican Attorney General candidate Eric Toney chided incumbent Josh Kaul for also skipping the Biden event.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, though, shared the Laborfest stage with Biden, who has low approval numbers in Wisconsin and nationally.

Even though Barnes avoided being on stage with Biden, the state's lieutenant governor said he's "really grateful that the president has shown support for the labor movement here in Wisconsin."

Barnes, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, marched in the Laborfest parade before Biden's arrival but then headed to Racine to strike with unionized workers of CNH Industrial company.

During the president's visit to Milwaukee, Biden criticized Johnson on drug pricing, social insurance programs and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Barnes also jabbed Johnson during his campaign event with union workers Tuesday for not trying to persuade Wisconsin manufacturer Oshkosh Corp. to place more than 1,000 new jobs in the senator's hometown.

"Ron Johnson wants to make it easier for companies to offshore," Barnes told a crowd of labor leaders and workers. "If he's gonna send jobs to South Carolina, he'll gladly send jobs out of the country." 

In early 2021, Oshkosh Corp. secured a multibillion-dollar federal contract to build up to 165,000 postal trucks requiring 1,000 new assembly workers.

Just months later, Oshkosh Defense announced it would not build the postal trucks at its existing Oshkosh assembly lines but shift production to an industrial site in South Carolina.

Oshkosh UAW member Tim Jacobson told the crowd Tuesday that Johnson promised union members a meeting between them and Oshkosh Corp. leadership in February but never delivered on that promise.

"Ron Johnson doesn't care about us," Jacobson said. "He cares about his wealthy corporations like Oshkosh Corporation." 

Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.