WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Brotherhood of Teamsters strongly supports Senator Tammy Baldwin’s (D-WI) oversight request sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today, calling for renewed scrutiny of the 2018 Energizer-Spectrum merger. The letter comes as Energizer proposes plant closures in Portage and Fennimore, Wisconsin.
Energizer recently moved to outsource 600 good-paying Teamster jobs to Singapore, the UK, and a nonunion facility with weaker protections for workers in North Carolina. The proposed closure of the two facilities will have a devastating impact on workers, residents, and consumers across Wisconsin.
“Energizer’s attempts to kill jobs in Portage and Fennimore are direct attacks on working people. If corporate executives think they can destroy workers’ lives and lay waste to American communities, then Energizer has clearly forgotten it’s messing with the Teamsters,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our entire union applauds Sen. Baldwin for scrutinizing Energizer’s plan to offshore these good union jobs. We strongly support her request for antitrust regulators to revisit this merger.”
The oversight letter raises serious questions about the FTC’s failure to challenge the 2018 merger and underscores the need for renewed scrutiny by antitrust enforcers and regulators. In the letter, Sen. Baldwin noted the merger created a boon for investors, consolidated control of the battery market in Energizer’s favor, and negatively impacted prices and the public. Baldwin seeks answers as to how this merger was reviewed and how its potential impact was evaluated by the FTC.
“These families — who may lose their livelihoods to benefit an already sizable profit margin — deserve answers from the agency that failed to challenge this merger,” Baldwin said.
“Thanks to Senator Baldwin’s leadership and the Teamsters’ will to fight, Energizer can be held accountable, Wisconsin families can get some answers, and other greedy corporations can take notice,” O’Brien said.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
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