IL Gov. Quinn’s Big Labor proclamations chasing jobs away

After declaring that Illinois’ pro-Big Labor policies were keeping jobs in the state, Gov. Quinn (D) awoke to find that one of the state’s biggest employers, Caterpillar, would not be opening any plants in the Land of Lincoln.

The Journal Star reports:

Caterpillar, Inc. will not be building its new North American plant anywhere in the state of Illinois, officials with the company told local leaders Tuesday, with part of the reason being continued concerns about the business climate in the state.

The company will instead focus on a location closer to its division headquarters in Cary, N.C., Peoria County officials were told in an email sent to them shortly after the close of business and later obtained by the Journal Star. The plant stood to bring with it from Japan roughly 1,000 jobs manufacturing track-type tractors and mini hydraulic excavators.

Peoria County had submitted a regional proposal for the facility at the end of last year, and the Galesburg area also had a proposal on the table for the manufacturer. Peoria’s proposal reportedly included economic incentives as well as a promise of a legislative effort to establish a tax increment financing district to benefit the company.

North Carolina, of course, is a Right to Work state.