THU AM News: Feds approve first part of state’s BEAD proposal; Baldwin slamming CNH Industrial for plans to layoff hundreds in Racine

April 18, 2024

— The first part of Wisconsin’s application to a national broadband funding program has been accepted by federal officials.

PSC Broadband Expansion Manager Rory Tikalsky yesterday told members of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access of the approval, representing a step forward in Wisconsin’s plans for using BEAD funding.

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, allocates more than $1 billion to Wisconsin, according to the state Public Service Commission.

Tikalsky said the federal government last week approved part one of the state’s BEAD implementation process.

“Really exciting step for us, I think a lot of work and a lot of effort by [internet service providers,] partners, all kind of on the back end of things to get things set up and lined up for this,” he said during yesterday’s task force meeting. “Our goal now … is to open this challenge process within the next couple days by announcing and posting instructions and data.”

That will trigger a 30-day window in which participants can help shape the state’s map for BEAD funding allocations, he said. Under the state’s BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1, Wisconsin will use this challenge period to determine the locations and anchor institutions that are eligible for funding through the program.

Nonprofits, local units of government, tribal governments, certain broadband service providers and community organizations are eligible to participate.

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is slamming CNH Industrial for plans to lay off hundreds of workers in the state while urging the company to “reverse course” on moving some operations to Mexico.

“Moving production to Mexico as you are considering would not only be a slap in the face to the workers who have given so much, it would destroy the institutional knowledge that your workforce has developed over decades of building agricultural equipment,” the Madison Dem wrote in a letter to company CEO Scott Wine.

The London-based manufacturer of farming machinery will be laying off more than 200 workers in the Racine area, according to Baldwin’s release. She also alleges the business failed to properly notify the state Department of Workforce Development of its plans to reduce its workforce.

“Forgoing the notice is not only illegal, but it denies your workers these benefits to which they are entitled,” she wrote. “To my knowledge, your notification to your workers and their representatives were well short of the 60 days required by law.”

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Baldwin’s letter. The layoffs are part of a reorganization effort aimed at reducing costs by $150 million, her letter shows.

Baldwin also criticizes Wine for making nearly $18 million last year while an average worker at its Racine plant makes about $52,000 per year.

“In 2022, you made $22 million and in 2021 you made $44 million,” she wrote. “During those three years, you have earned more money than you paid to all of the workers in Racine — the ones you have now told they are too expensive to invest in — combined.”

See Baldwin’s release.

— Marinette is getting more than $600,000 in funding to expand transportation infrastructure around shipbuilding business Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s growing operations.

Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Transportation yesterday announced the city’s Transportation Economic Assistance grant, which comes after the company in 2020 received a contract to design and build a new class of ships for the U.S. Navy.

The area is expected to see hundreds of new jobs, as well as contractors, naval specialists and visitors as the business ramps up ship production, according to the guv’s office. Grant funding will be used to restructure nearby roads to handle the extra traffic.

“As Fincantieri Marinette Marine expands its operations here in Wisconsin, we are committed to ensuring surrounding communities continue to thrive,” Evers said in a statement.

See the release.

— A human resources director with Advocate Aurora Health says many opportunities exist in the health care industry for neurodiverse people, such as those with autism or ADHD.

Speaking yesterday during a Disability:IN Wisconsin webinar focused on inclusion in the workplace, Anna Helbig said many businesses may be wary of hiring people who fall under the broad umbrella of neurodiversity. Helbig is a director and HR business partner for the health system, which has headquarters in Milwaukee.

“If you don’t understand what neurodiverse is, you then would maybe make the assumption that you can’t work with patients, you can’t work with people, you’re not good in that interpersonal communication … We have a lot of roles that do do that, and a lot of roles that don’t do that at all,” she said, adding “if you limit what you think people can do, they’re only going to reach as high as you think that they can.”

John Bryson, a workplace inclusion and accessibility advocate with New Jersey-based Rangam Consultants, cautioned against taking a one-size-fits-all approach to making a workplace more inclusive for people who may be sensitive to light or sound, or have other unique considerations.

“It takes a mix of things, a mix of strategies,” he said. “But also, it’s not that hard. That’s the other misconception, is that I think people think it’s rocket science. And it really isn’t, because you’re talking about human beings. And at the end of the day, if you remember that, you’re off to a really good start.”

Both suggested strategies for accommodating diverse perspectives and skill sets, such as providing discussion topics or questions ahead of job interviews, offering closed captioning or translation services, providing noise canceling headphones, being open to allowing people to set up their desks away from sources of light and noise, and other approaches.

Bryson said many people in HR often react with exasperation or frustration when the issue of providing accommodations arises, “because we’ve been conditioned to think it’s this very legal, very rigorous, very complex, very risky thing — and expensive.” But he argues employers should jump at the chance to provide potential hires the opportunity to be themselves.

“It’s a thing that lets this person show me who they really are, and if they are qualified, we get great talent, their life might be changed. I want to be a part of that, right?” he said. “But there’s another part, once they’re at that interview stage, that we also need to not have a bad attitude if they’re just now requesting [accommodations.]”

These can range from more involved support such as translation or captioning services to simply being patient when an interviewee might need extra time to consider how to answer a question, panelists said. Helbig stressed the importance of being prepared for situations like these.

“If someone does disclose a need for an accommodation during that process, we have a process to follow, we have an accommodations team to lean on,” she said. “So making sure that organizationally, we know our resources, that we have those and we have experts in place to walk us through that.”

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