OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin sent a letter to Oshkosh Corporation about their decision to build new trucks for the United States Postal Service in South Carolina instead of Wisconsin.

Back in June 2021, Oshkosh Defense, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation, announced that is opening a dedicated facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. At this location, it will build the United States Postal Service (USPS) Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV).

In the letter sent to John Pfeifer, who is the President and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation, and John Bryant, who is the Vice President and President of Oshkosh Defense, Baldwin wrote:

Oshkosh Defense has a long and proud history of manufacturing military vehicles in Wisconsin with skilled union labor. However, we are concerned about your recent decision to manufacture the trucks in a newly acquired facility, with new hires, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. We urge you to further scrutinize the final production location based on the strength of Oshkosh’s existing workforce. Oshkosh has a longstanding and skilled workforce in Wisconsin, with robust experience in manufacturing trucks for government service. As such, we are writing to better understand the process that led to the award of the contract and the decision to produce the NGDV at a new facility in South Carolina.

Letter sent to Oshkosh Corporation

The letter was written by Baldwin and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (from Michigan). The new facility in Spartanburg is expected to hire 1,000 local employees.

Local 5 reached out to Oshkosh Defense and received a statement from John Bryant, Executive Vice President of Oshkosh Corporation and Oshkosh Defense saying,

We are proud that the U.S. Postal Service selected Oshkosh Defense for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) program.  We evaluated sites in multiple states, including Wisconsin, for production of the NGDV.  The Spartanburg, South Carolina facility ranked highest in meeting the requirements of the NGDV program and gives us the best ability to meet the needs of the USPS. We are also pleased to share that we have chosen to establish the NGDV Technical Center right here in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The center will be staffed by over 100 team members who will provide engineering and program support for the NGDV contract.

John Bryant, Executive Vice President of Oshkosh Corporation and Oshkosh Defense

Production is expected to start in the summer of 2023.

The full letter that was sent to Oshkosh Corporation can be read here.