Inflation Is Affecting Us All. Here’s How Prevailing Wage Can Soften The Sting.

Prices everywhere are increasing. We see it in grocery stores, at the gas pumps and even on our utility bills. A few cents here and a couple percentage points there can add up quickly. In June and July of 2022, prices were up 8.3 percent compared to a year ago, which is the highest rate of increase in 40 years, according to NBC News. Whether it’s a gallon of gas or milk, ... Continue Reading »

Prevailing Wage Will Reunite Families and Raise Our Standard of Living

By Providing a Pathway to a More Secure Life

Prevailing wage ensures that West Virginians get the first shot at good-paying jobs on tax-funded public works projects. It also provides health care coverage and retirement benefits to those working on these projects. So instead of being forced to leave West Virginia to find work, our family members can live and work here at home where they belong. Prevailing ... Continue Reading »

Restoring Fairness

Fairness is a core principle for any true-blue West Virginian. Fair pay for a good day’s work, a fair shot at a good job, and fair treatment in the workplace. Fairness is a value we cherish, and for many years a law known as Prevailing Wage ensured fairness for all Mountaineers. Then in 2016, without proper study, our short-sighted legislative leadership repealed prevailing wage, and thousands ... Continue Reading »

The Law Of Unintended Consequences

It’s called the law of unintended consequences. When it comes to government, it refers to unanticipated effects of legislative activity. Economists have long been aware we must heed this law to avoid a domino effect of lousy results from new policies. But, as a Forbes writer once observed, “for just as long, politicians and popular opinion have largely ignored it.” Consider House Bill 2008, which our state Legislature passed into ... Continue Reading »

Want To Fix Potholes? Start With A Living Wage For West Virginia Families.

If you ask a West Virginian what they’d change about our state, there’s a high chance you would hear about potholes, crumbling roads, or poor internet connection.

They’re common complaints among many who live in the Wild and Wonderful. And they’re partially to blame for our population declining as young adults seek less complicated, more lucrative areas of the country to put down roots. ... Continue Reading »

Without ‘Prevailing Wage’ WV Hospitals Closing Doors

West Virginia’s Hospitals Are Struggling

As a state with one of the oldest and most chronically ill populations in the country, West Virginia hospitals and rural health care centers are crucial parts of our communities – but care comes at a cost. Approximately 1.1 million of West Virginia’s 1.7 million residents are covered by public insurance policies, like Medicaid, Medicare, and PEIA. However, those policies do not cover the ... Continue Reading »

WVU Adds Associate Degree Program for Carpenter Apprentices

Excerpt: A partnership among West Virginia University, WVU Potomac State College, WVU Extension Service Institute for Labor Studies and Research, the West Virginia Carpenters Training Center and the West Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council will allow apprentices to further their skills and education through a new associate degree program. This program will be free to apprentices based on current state-funding opportunities, such as the West Virginia Invests Grant ... Continue Reading »

How to Create Jobs for Young People in West Virginia

West Virginia is full of incredible outdoor adventure, beautiful mountains and endless opportunities. Recently, the Mountain State became home to the country’s 63rd national park: The New River Gorge. The sweeping vistas give way to hiking trails, blooming rhododendrons and some of the best whitewater rafting in the world. This new designation will bring in outside tourism at a scenic, federal property while providing an employment opportunity for locals – ... Continue Reading »

Federal Infrastructure Dollars Headed For West Virginia – Let’s Spend Wisely.

The word “infrastructure” is much in the news these days. The Biden administration has proposed a roughly $2 trillion plan for improving the nation’s infrastructure, in what is being called a “once-in-a-generation investment” in the United States. The plan would directly benefit West Virginia workers and mean more jobs for you, your friends, and the people in your community. Photo by Indira Tjokorda on Unsplash Some want a cheaper, scaled-down ... Continue Reading »

West Virginia’s Infrastructure Opportunity

Behind every great product or successful business is a solid foundation–a set of systems that ensures things run as smoothly as possible, much like infrastructure. A great restaurant, for example, may be a simple experience for a patron–book a reservation, arrive, dine, pay and leave. As you sit and enjoy your meal, unbeknownst to you (if you have never worked in the service industry), there is a well-oiled ... Continue Reading »