DETROIT — Speaking from the heart of automotive manufacturing, Hillary Clinton on Friday called for a federal minimum wage boost and tax penalties against companies that outsource jobs.
“I do want to send a clear message to every boardroom and executive suite — if you cheat your employees, you exploit your customers, you pollute our environment or rip off the taxpayers, we will hold you accountable,” she said, in a speech to about 200 supporters. “If you desert America, you’ll pay a price.”
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She spoke at Detroit Manufacturing Systems, which employs about 700 UAW members and 200 salaried workers, and makes instrument panels for Ford.
Her stop comes days before Michigan’s primary on Tuesday and Ohio’s primary on March 15. Mrs. Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont are vying for the Democratic nod.
During a wide-ranging address, she keyed on numerous topics, such as promoting corporate responsibility, small businesses, and tax credits for employers that share profits with workers. She railed against a “casino-culture on Wall Street” that asks taxpayers to pay when their “bets go bad.”
Companies that outsource jobs should be penalized with a new “exit tax,” in which they have to give back tax breaks if they leave the United States.
“If you’re not going to invest in us, why should taxpayers invest in you?” she said, to applause. “Let’s take that money and put it to work in the communities that are being left behind.”
According to her website, Mrs. Clinton has supported raising the federal minimum wage to $12.
Though she spent scant time sniping directly at Republican opponents, Mrs. Clinton denounced what she described as a “relentless assault on labor” to diminish the power of unions. It’s a major reason why overtime rules haven’t been updated and why paid leave and earned sick days haven’t been widely embraced, she said.
The Republican presidential debate held Thursday night in Detroit illustrated how the GOP candidates support the same failed policies, such as tax cuts for the rich and drastically cutting government, she said.
“The economy, which should be at the top of any list that anybody running for president has, was basically an afterthought,” Mrs. Clinton said.
She delivered the nearly 40-minute speech peppered with Detroit name-drops — from watchmaker Shinola to Chevrolet — to an audience studded with notable Michigan Democrats. The crowd included U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Mrs. Clinton gave a special shout-out to former Rep. John Dingell, whom she called “a social media sensation.” Mr. Dingell later took to Twitter, where he’s amassed nearly 40,000 followers, to post a picture of Mrs. Clinton at the speech and thank her “for giving this old Polish lawyer one hell of a seat.”
In her introductory remarks, DMS’ chief executive officer and president praised the opportunity to host the candidate and said the manufacturing company is poised to increase production. “What we want is not a handout but a hand up. We want fair opportunity to participate in the economy, and we’re willing to work if given the chance,” Andra Rush said.
Mrs. Clinton, in turn, trumpeted the emerging vitality of a once-decaying Detroit.
“I want more people to see what’s happening in southwest Detroit and Midtown and Eastern Market. New businesses are opening. Families are moving in. The streetlights are on again. The buses are running. There is a palpable feeling of pride and community,” she said.
The message played well to the crowd, which included members of Laborers’ International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, and American Federation of Government Employees.
“She spoke about a lot of things that we need right now — jobs in America, better pay — those are all the things that we’re concerned about right now,” said DMS employee Gwen Pickens of Clinton Township, Mich., who showed off a selfie she snapped with Mrs. Clinton after the speech.
Mrs. Clinton made brief references to both Detroit’s deteriorating schools and Flint’s lead-tainted drinking water. Michigan voters are concerned about the economy but also prisoner recidivism and drinking water, said Barbara Carr, a home care worker from Flint who attended the speech.
The former secretary of state is a strong presidential candidate, Ms. Carr said, though she isn’t sure yet she’ll get her vote.
“I like where she stands, but you gotta make sure that they’re actually going to do it,” she said.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published March 5, 2016, 5:01 a.m.
