Restore West Virginia Families
We all know the story of Exodus from the Bible. And we are all familiar with people who’ve had to make their own exodus from their homes because the living conditions became dangerous after storms or earthquakes, or political uncertainty.
Currently our state is experiencing its own exodus, and sadly, it is of our own making. We have nurtured and educated our kids only to send them out of state in search of good jobs. Everyone reading this is either among those who left or have watched a loved one (or countless loved ones) leave.
West Virginia Offers the Building Blocks to a Good Life
The simple truth is that there is no reason for this. West Virginia offers us many reasons to stay: a great quality of life in one of the most beautiful places on earth, low cost of living, affordable housing, quality schools, unrivaled recreational opportunities and warm and welcoming communities. But none of this matters much if you can’t make a decent living.
So, when our residents leave, it is only because they have little choice. We know West Virginia has the building blocks for a good life, but how can we ensure that our native sons and daughters can remain in state to enjoy it ? How can we bring back those who have left us in search of opportunities far from home?
We can do so by creating employment opportunities that provide good pay, excellent health care and a way to fund retirement. We can do so by guaranteeing that West Virginia workers receive a wage that is fair to employers and workers alike. Many states have what’s called a Prevailing Wage Law which does just that.
West Virginia Should Restore the Prevailing Wage Law
It is important to note that states which have a Prevailing Wage Law have stronger local economies and support their local workers – regular folks like you and me. And Prevailing Wage Law ensures that those workers will be paid a good wage – wages they’ll spend at local businesses – wages that produce tax revenue that benefit our local communities and generate even more good-paying jobs.
Unfortunately the West Virginia Legislature eliminated our Prevailing Wage law in 2016 and the results have been disastrous. Thousands of our best and brightest have left our hometowns and cities to find good-paying jobs. Opportunities have disappeared and wages have dropped for those who chose to stay. Meanwhile, imported, low wage workers are invading our state to pick over the few jobs that are left. All this for the sake of promised tax savings that have never materialized.
By restoring the Prevailing Wage Law in West Virginia we can bring home our native sons and daughters and create new opportunities and good-paying jobs for our young people. We can generate increased tax revenue to improve our roads and bridges, restore our rural hospitals and reunite our families. Restore Prevailing Wage to restore West Virginia!
Find your West Virginia representatives here and reach out to them to let them know you would like them to reinstate the Prevailing Wage Law.
You can help restore the Prevailing Wage Law by signing the petition. Sign your name, share with your friends, and let’s restore the Prevailing Wage Law to help keep our young people here and move West Virginia forward.