Raising Wages: Rewarding Work and strengthening local economies

Hard work should pay off. But too many Wisconsin families are doing everything right and still falling behind — and that’s not a law of nature.

Wages are shaped by rules: who gets to negotiate, who’s free to leave for a better offer, and what our tax dollars reward. Those rules get written in Madison. Right now, too many of them are written so working families and local businesses absorb the risk while the well-connected collect the reward.

This is not about punishing success. It is about stopping government from rewarding failure, favoritism, and gamesmanship.

In the State Senate, I’ll work to:

Make sure full-time work supports a family.
Anyone putting in a full week should be able to afford a home, raise kids, and retire here. That’s the deal, and the deal should hold.

Rein in non-compete agreements that trap Wisconsin workers.
The fastest raise most people ever get is a new job, and a non-compete’s whole purpose is to stop you from taking it. That’s not a free market. That’s a locked gate.

Make tax credits earn their keep.
Tie business incentives to what we actually want more of: hiring, wages, and investment here at home. A credit that doesn’t grow Wisconsin paychecks shouldn’t get Wisconsin dollars.

Back the trades.
Support apprenticeships, technical college, and training that leads to a real career — with or without a four-year degree. A kid from a small town shouldn’t need six figures of debt to earn a good living.

Defend fair, honest negotiation.
Workers and employers both do better when agreements are made in the open, on equal footing, and in good faith. The rules shouldn’t be written to silence one side before the conversation even starts.

We don’t need handouts. We need a fair shot, a level playing field, and a referee who makes sure everyone plays by the same rules.