“Right-to-Work” laws do not guarantee jobs for workers. Instead they prohibit unions and employers from including a provision in contracts that requires employees who benefit from union representation to pay for their fair share toward those costs. PDF of Fast Facts. Some state lawmakers argue that if West Virginia adopted a so-called “right-to-work” (RTW) law…
Reports & Briefs
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…
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…
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 March 23, Governor Tomblin used his line-item veto power to cut several early childhood and domestic violence programs from the FY2015 budget passed by the legislature. This included over $1 million in cuts to In-Home Family Education, Family Resource Networks and Starting Points Family Resource Centers, Child Advocacy Centers, domestic violence programs and services,…
Executive Summary The first hydraulically fractured shale wells were drilled in Pennsylvania and West Virginia nearly a decade ago. Drawing on existing experiences in these states, and the rapid advance of hydrofracking in Ohio, we can begin to assess the effect of shale development on the most active drilling communities. As pressure mounts to increase…
With the 2014 Legislative Session ending without the completion of the FY 2015 budget, Governor Tomblin has called the legislature back into a special session. The House and the Senate have their own budget bills, as does the governor. All three must be reconciled into one bill before the budget can be finalized. Read PDF…
Governor Tomblin released his proposed FY 2015 budget last month and, for the second year in a row, made another round of cuts to programs and services instead of dealing with the state’s revenue problem. While his FY 2015 budget makes some improvements in public employee and teachers’ salaries, it continues to hurt the state’s…
For the better part of the 20th century, land ownership patterns in West Virginia remained virtually unchanged. Large energy and land-holding corporations bought up mineral-rich acres and held them until market conditions were favorable for mining, drilling or leasing. Two separate investigations – one by reporter Tom Miller in 1974 and another by the…