Don't Boycott Local Businesses

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Wisconsin unions encouraging their disciples, if you will, to boycott local businesses who do not come out and formally oppose Gov. Scott Walker and his plan to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights. How in the world is this ever going to help matters? First of all, let politics stay in the political realm as much as possible. I understand that businesses often give contributions to campaigns, but I see no reason to encourage people to stop frequenting Wisconsin businesses, especially at a time when money's tight and the state is trying to attract business. Imagine if large corporations with the potential to expand to Wisconsin get wind of this. If residents of Wisconsin are so eager to abandon some of the most prominent businesses in the state over politics, chances are they'll take their business elsewhere. It just doesn't paint the picture of a promising business environment. Granted, Wisconsin is in an utter state of disarray at the moment, but still.

Kwik Trip and M&I Bank were two institutions that have been threatened by unions that their businesses will be boycotted if they don't formally announce that they are not in favor of Gov. Walker's plan. That's only going to make things worse for the middle class, as most of the people employed by Kwik Trip, which is a family-owned company, fall into that category. Then, of course, you have the business contributions to each community. Kwik Trip has been known to support various charitable organizations and non-profits, as well as donate to other efforts, such as the flood that occurred in Arcadia last fall. If you boycott a business like Kwik Trip, you're basically saying that your community doesn't need their support. Au contraire!

What these unions are forgetting is that local businesses contribute campaign funds to both parties. If they are boycotted, there's nothing stopping them from refusing support the next time campaign season rolls around. But, in all honesty, does every single business have to pick sides on this issue? What's wrong with just being Switzerland? Is it going to make a difference if Kwik Trip says they're opposed to Gov. Walker's plan? More than likely, it will not. The way I see it, boycotting local businesses is about as effective as thinking that a nationwide boycott of filling up at gas stations for one day will impact fuel prices. And, most certainly, people are not going to inconvenience themselves by shutting down their bank accounts and finding a different institution that opposes Scott Walker's plan. If so, that's just plain sad.

As of late last week, both Kwik Trip and M&I Bank refused to fall victim to the peer pressure of these politics and did not take a position on the issue. I give them a great deal of credit for standing up to these intimidation tactics. If I were a business owner who provided campaign funding for both parties, I think it would be appropriate to maintain neutrality. There's really no need for local businesses to choose sides in this debacle. Why can't we just let the politicians do the job they were elected to do and leave all of these antics out of it for a change?

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times