The labor conflict in Wisconsin reminds me of a meeting I had with company officials in St. Louis on the first industrial prospecting trip I made with the Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry. I don't believe it would be any harm in naming the corporation but I will only say it was a significant and diversified company. I showed up at my appointed time expecting to meet one or maybe two officials but I was taken to a room where some six or eight men sat around a long table. One official spoke and as I remember it, he said, "Before you give us one reason why we should put a plant in Louisiana we can give you several why we should not. First, take a look at map. Louisiana is way down on the Gulf, not suited for distribution, and it is the only state in the South without a right to work law."
I came up with some reasons why Louisiana is a good location for industry, its work force, etc. but my words fell on deaf ears. For several years, until we passed a right to work law, this was a handicap in our industrial development efforts.
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