Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch - Gov. Jim Justice’s decision to cut off federal enhanced unemployment benefits 12 weeks early did not improve state employment rates or reduce unemployment rolls, but coincided with a sharp spike in West Virginia households experiencing financial hardships, an analysis released Thursday shows. Read the full article. “With the pandemic still…
Income and Work
On June 19, Governor Justice ended all federally funded pandemic unemployment benefit programs, 12 weeks before they were set to expire. The benefits -- which included an extra weekly $300 payment to unemployed workers, as well as extended eligibility both for workers who had exhausted their regular weeks of eligibility and for self-employed workers and…
WOWK13 - On Inside West Virginia Politics, Kelly Allen, the Executive Direct of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, talks about the importance of Paid Family and Medical Leave being considered in Congress. Watch the full segment. According to Allen, 1 in 5 people have paid medical leave with a higher-paying job. With…
Mountain State Spotlight - Mandy Bock is still wearing the contact lenses she got in early May. She should have swapped them out after two weeks, but she’s rationing them, alternating with a pair of broken glasses. Read the full article. “I’m afraid to [buy new contacts] because what if I need that money for…
For Immediate Release: August 3, 2021Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – West Virginia faces a pivotal moment as we begin to emerge and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. While the pandemic brought many of its own unique challenges, an important takeaway that was highlighted during COVID-19 was that there are also longstanding, structural challenges to the…
Emerging Stronger from the Pandemic: A Blueprint for an Equitable Economic Recovery in West Virginia
Foreword West Virginia faces a pivotal moment as we begin to emerge and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. While the pandemic brought many of its own unique challenges that have been addressed by prompt local, state, and government action, an important takeaway that was highlighted during the pandemic was that there are also…
WOWK, Opera News - Dozens of people from various families gathered for a picnic in Charleston’s Cato Park. But this wasn’t just about good food and having fun. Read the full article. It was also about politics. Advocates are urging Congress to pass a paid family and medical leave bill that covers all American workers.
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch - West Virginia leisure and hospitality jobs, which were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, experienced an 18% employment uptick from June 2020 to June 2021. Read the full article. The number of jobs in the sector grew from 62,800 to 68,000 between January and May of this year. The numbers…
WTRF - The push for paid leave was in full force Monday evening over at the Schwertfeger Shelter at Wheeling Park. Read the full article. A statewide campaign called “Paid Leave Works for WV” was the topic and supporters held a picnic to try to garner support at the federal level for paid family and…
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Meridian Star, Marshall News Messenger, Williston Daily Herald, Brookings Register- There’s nobody here. Read the full article. Well almost nobody. This unincorporated community is in a magnificent corner of the world, garlanded by mountains, picturesque farms planted along the road, eight miles from not one but two ski areas and a state…