State of West Virginia secondary Archives: on Jobs
Ben Salango:
Diversify economy and ensure WV gets federal assistance
West Virginia's job losses, lack of good-paying jobs and population decline started before coronavirus. Our next governor will need to manage the federal assistance our state receives from Washington, and it will be a full-time job to make sure
our small businesses and workers are at the front of the line. I've created jobs and diversified the economy, including in areas that have been hit hard by the decline of coal.
Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail on West Virginia gubernatorial race
May 25, 2020
Jim Justice:
Free college has led to record high employment
Now, we have 20,000 new jobs today in the State of West Virginia. One of the reasons we have those jobs is a guy sitting behind me that's working that every day, and that is President Carmichael, that came up with the idea, you know,
to let our kids go to college for free. It's working. It's one of the ideas that's just working. Today we have an all time high employment. All time. It just gets better and better and better.
Source: 2020 West Virginia State of the State address
Jan 8, 2020
Joe Manchin III:
Raise minimum wage from $7.25/hr to $10.10
Q: Raise the federal minimum wage?Joe Manchin (D): Yes. Supported 2014 bill to increase from $7.25 hour to $10.10 hour.
Patrick Morrisey (R): Unknown.
Source: 2018 CampusElect Issue Guide on West Virginia Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Paula Jean Swearengin:
Supports living wage and workers' rights
Q: What would be your top priorities, if elected?A: A Living Wage and Workers' Rights. Minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living. It has been nearly ten years since the last modest increase the federal government was willing to pass.
Over that same time, the wealth gap grew larger than ever. This is about justice and basic human decency. If you work hard and you work full time you shouldn't live in poverty.
And all workers should have their rights protected! I support strong unions and collective bargaining. I am forever proud to have stood on the lines and at rallies at the
Capitol with the West Virginia teachers and public employees who helped reignite the Labor movement across the country.
Source: Ballotpedia statement for 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Apr 10, 2018
Natalie Tennant:
Raise payroll cap to $240,000; and raise minimum wage
Q: What measures do you support to making social security solvent again?Capito: "We should bust the cap on the social security taxes and I'd be willing to take it above the $200,000 number."
Tennant: "I am supportive of raising the (payroll) cap
to $240,000. Not quite that far, yet, then we'll work on a number. Another way that we can keep social security solvent is, quite simply, raise minimum wage. If you have more people getting paid, they're going to pay into social security more."
Source: WV MetroNews on 2014 West Virginia Senate debate
Oct 8, 2014
Paula Jean Swearengin:
Raise minimum wage; tie rate to inflation
Adjusted for inflation, today's $7.25/hour minimum wage is actually $4 lower than the minimum wage of 50 years ago. No one can survive in America today on $7.25/hour, especially if they are trying to raise a family.
We will raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, tie it to inflation, and encourage states and local governments to increase the minimum wage further in places with higher costs of living.
Source: 2018 West Virginia Senate campaign website PaulaJean2018.com
Jul 17, 2017
Paula Jean Swearengin:
Supports protections for unions, ending "right to work" laws
Supporting industry also means supporting workers. That's why we support federal protections for Unions and demand a living wage for all individuals working across the country.
We all deserve good-paying jobs, that's why our campaign supports a federal jobs guarantee, worker rights expansion and ending stifling right to work legislation.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website PaulaJean.com
Jul 6, 2020
Paula Jean Swearengin:
Wants a living wage, but not advocating for set amount
Swearingen said she wants West Virginians to have a living wage. She is not advocating for a set amount, she said. She pointed out that $15 an hour in California is not much. For many West Virginians, on the other hand, $15 would be a "game changer."
"I'm not stuck on the amount," she said. "We need to make sure people can make a living, but we also need to make sure that small businesses can create a path. "We don't want small businesses to go bankrupt because we're paying $15 an hour."
Source: The Register-Herald on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Jan 18, 2020
Richard Ojeda:
Against right to work laws, active union participant
Ojeda was strongly against right to work laws and was one of the influential members of unions.
Owing to his active participation in the union, he managed to receive donation of $121,440.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Mar 5, 2020
Richard Ojeda:
Ensure coal miners able to transition to "real jobs"
Ojeda, whose brief presidential campaign emphasized an economic populist message, wrote that as a senator he would ensure the coal miners
who make up much of the state's electorate would be able to transition to "real jobs" when coal companies "pull pitch and runs."
Source: The Hill e-zine on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Jan 13, 2020
Richard Ojeda:
Strongly against right to work laws
Labor rights: Ojeda was strongly against right to work laws, and was one of the influential members of unions.
Owing to his active participation in the union, he managed to receive donation of $121,440.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Jun 1, 2020
Woody Thrasher:
State must help diversify economy
Another pressing issue he points out is the lack of economic diversity resulting in the lack of opportunity for the youth. "We continue to see the economic boom and bust from a resource extraction economy with no effort to diversify it.
So I think there are real opportunities for change and I don't feel like the current administration is beginning to do those things that are going to resolve the change that we desperately need."
Source: WTRF Valley Grove on 2020 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Dec 5, 2019
Woody Thrasher:
WV needs jobs or we'll keep losing population
Thrasher said he believes it's his job to create jobs, and in an effort to do so, he's toured the Mountain State extensively. Thrasher said, "I drove 58,000 miles trying to generate work for 20 years. There are only three communities that have grown in
size--Martinsburg, Morgantown and Teays Valley." He said the vast majorities of communities across West Virginia have seen a decline. "Last year, West Virginia lost 11,000 people," he said. "We have lost people for 20 years in a row.
We are the only state in the union to lose population for 20 years in a row--West Virginia has lost more people than any other state in the union."Thrasher said the reason for the population decline is a lack of economic opportunities. "Most of the
kids that leave, and they are mostly kids or recent graduates, leave because they do not believe they have opportunities here," he said. "They go other places where they are extremely successful. It breaks my heart to see where West Virginia is going."
Source: MyBuckhannon.com on 2020 West Virginia Governor debate
Aug 27, 2019
Woody Thrasher:
Lower taxes, fewer regulations, incentivize small business
I've seen firsthand when West Virginians have better opportunities, most of them will stay here to make a living. We need more and better jobs, and state government can absolutely help facilitate that through
lower taxes, fewer regulations, incentives for existing small businesses, continuing workforce development and support for creative economic opportunities.
Source: Williamson Daily News on 2020 West Virginia governor race
Mar 24, 2020
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023