Some lawmakers are claiming West Virginia’s prevailing wage overpays construction workers and inflates the costs of public construction projects, but the evidence does not support these claims. Ending the state’s prevailing wage is likely to have no impact on public construction costs but could hurt the living standards of construction workers and the competitiveness of…
Income and Work
It has been over seven years since the beginning of the Great Recession. While the country is finally beginning to recover from the biggest recession since the Great Depression, West Virginia's rocky recovery has yet to fully materialize. In fact, over the last couple of years the state's job growth has been non-existent. At the…
Last week, the State Senate passed a bill (SB 559) that would except DHHR social workers from the requirement to be licensed by the West Virginia Board of Social Work. According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, this bill aims to get more people to apply for positions within Child Protective…
Construction workers hired for public projects in West Virginia must be paid a minimum “prevailing” wage and benefits level. This prevailing wage level must equal the market wage rates as determined by the West Virginia Division of Labor, and varies by geographical area within the state and by occupation. West Virginia’s prevailing wage law was…
Earlier, I showed how it's nearly impossible for the prevailing wage to add 25% to the cost of public construction projects, like opponents to the law claim, even if you assume that the prevailing wage is nearly 50% higher than average wages in the construction sector. But let's take a closer look at that 50% claim.…
As the legislature considers repealing the state's prevailing wage for public construction projects, it is important to recognize that it could further depress wages. This is especially true for male workers, who typically hold over 90 percent of construction jobs. Since the late 1970s, male hourly wages have declined by more than $3 in West…
As thousands of West Virginians approach retirement age, workplace retirement plans, along with Social Security and personal savings, are of growing importance. A secure retirement allows retired workers to live independently, pay for healthcare, and continue to contribute to the state’s economy. Read PDF of the report. But in West Virginia, more than 349,000 workers,…
This report is the seventh in an annual series that examines the state of West Virginia’s economy as it impacts working people. Each year, we examine the latest available data on employment, income, productivity and job quality as well as the immediate economic challenges and opportunities. Read PDF of report. The themes have varied from…
On July 22, 2014, Sean O'Leary and Ted Boettner from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and Angela Vance from the WV-AARP presented the benefits of Voluntary Retirement Accounts (VERA) to the Our Children Our Future Policy Workshop in Clarksburg, WV. View the full presentation. Overview - The Retirement Problem Retirement Income Deficit…
West Virginia is one of the least healthy states in the country. With the implementation of the ACA, roughly 270,000 more West Virginians have access to medical care. This increase in health care services is a huge step toward a healthy state, but access to medical care is only one piece of the puzzle. Every day…