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 »

Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs – The Pathway to a Better Life

In America, we encourage and celebrate a college education. College may be an option for those with the desire and family resources a university degree requires. But a new national study finds that union apprenticeship programs in the construction trades result in a quality of life equal to that of a college graduate. The Illinois Economic Policy Institute found that graduates of joint labor-management apprenticeship programs in the construction industry ... Continue Reading »

Bright Futures Made Possible by Prevailing Wage

There’s a way to provide a future for young West Virginians, ensure they have good-paying jobs, and prepare them for the future. It’s called prevailing wage. Prevailing wage is the minimum hourly wage that contractors working on government-funded infrastructure projects pay local workers. Prevailing wage ensures local workers are paid fairly – based on a regional survey of rates for their particular level of skill and experience. Local contractors ... 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 »

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 »

More Deaths Than Births In West Virginia

Young adults are the lifeblood of a state’s future—but what happens when that lifeblood runs dry?

It’s no secret that young people are leaving West Virginia. In fact, U.S. Census Bureau data confirms we’ve now lost a higher percentage of residents than any other state in the country. And with one of the highest numbers of elderly folks in the nation, we’ve ... Continue Reading »

The Step up for women program is helping to close the gender gap

In West Virginia, good-paying jobs are not plentiful. Add the gender wage gap that still exists for women overall, and the job market can look bleak for women in the Mountain State. The Step Up for Women Program from West Virginia’s Women Work organization aims to change that. Over this 12-week training course women learn the construction basics. And many SUFW program graduates continue their instruction through skilled construction ... Continue Reading »

Mountaineers Are Always Free

…or are they?

We all love and appreciate the natural beauty of West Virginia – especially our majestic mountains. We call ourselves the Mountain State. We sing about our West Virginia Hills and our Mountain Mama. We proclaim that Mountaineers Are Always Free. On the flip side, our mountains often present us with challenges. Sometimes getting from here to there can be difficult – especially in bad weather. We may ... Continue Reading »

Apprenticeship Training

A Debt-Free Alternative to a Four-Year College

News reports are full of stories about young people burdened with crushing student loan debt. Celebrities are in trouble for their attempts to bribe college officials to admit their offspring to high-profile schools. Colleges are cutting programs to make ends meet, and many alumni are questioning the return on their hefty college investment. Amid all this bad news, many are overlooking ... Continue Reading »