“it was either Janesville or Arlington”

Seems like Wisconsin just lost a business to Arlington.

The decision by General Motors to phase out the Janesville plant means a GM plant in Arlington, Texas, becomes the main producer of the once-popular SUVs built here.

GM executives never said it was either Janesville or Arlington as they decided on what plant closing to make in addition to plants in Canada, Mexico and Ohio.

But the Janesville and Arlington plants were once considered industrial mirror images. They’ve both worried about being shut down in the past.

Texas Republican congressman Joe Barton said the quality of Arlington’s workforce was a factor in the plant avoiding closure. But Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle said GM officials had also praised the output and performance of GM’s workforce.

Barton said other factors in Texas’ favor were the state’s lack of an income tax, and the state’s status as a right-to-work-state. Doyle said the Janesville local union’s efforts at accomodation with GM had been praised.

Some have suggested a state leader’s pure power of persuasion comes into play with corporate siting decisions.

[...]

Auto industry analysts said Texas’ proximity to lower-cost, Mexican supply factories, and lower wages for GM workers in Arlington, worked against Wisconsin.