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Member's Press Release

Release Date: 05/31/2018
Contact: Senate President Mitch Carmichael, (304) 357-7801


Mitch Carmichael


Senate President Mitch Carmichael Praises State’s Ranking in Recent Wage Report

According to a recently released survey of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, West Virginia ranks 11th in the United States in increased wages since the Great Recession.

Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, said this report is tremendous news for working families throughout the state.

“It is so encouraging to see that wages are climbing faster in West Virginia than in 39 other states,” Senate President Carmichael said. “For the first time in years, our citizens are making more money have greater job opportunities.”

Senate President Carmichael said he believes that this data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is another key factor that validates the new direction and fundamental changes that have been implemented since 2015.

“The citizens gave us an opportunity to make West Virginia great again and to lead our state to prosperity. The plan is working, and we are on the right path,” Senate President Carmichael said. “Wages are rising, job prospects are expanding, and people throughout the nation and world now view West Virginia as a great place to grow business and raise a family.”

Throughout the previous four legislative sessions, Senate President Carmichael said the Senate has been laser-focused on creating and passing the kinds of labor, regulatory, and legal reforms that would make West Virginia attractive to industries worldwide. One of those components was the passage of the West Virginia Workplace Freedom Act in 2016, which made West Virginia the 26th state in the country to become a right-to-work state. The law went into effect in September 2017, though legal challenges to it remain.

“In spite of intense opposition from organized labor groups and other special interests, the Legislature passed a right-to-work law, along with other fundamental labor and civil justice reforms. Our opponents were adamant that right-to-work would lower wages for all workers in West Virginia, but we knew they were wrong. We knew that providing workers with more freedom and greater opportunity would lift wages for the wonderful working people of our state,” Senate President Carmichael said. “We are thankful that the citizens of West Virginia displayed the courage to move in a new direction. This positive economic report, combined with other winning data that show our state as adding more construction jobs than any other state and more than 10,000 total new jobs is evidence of the peoples’ right choice.”

The report can be found here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-states-where-pay-has-gone-up-most-since-the-recession/




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