CHARLESTON, W.Va. – At least 100 West Virginia contracting companies have written to state senators opposing the repeal of the state's prevailing wage law, according to state lawmakers.

Many of the letters say the law keeps local contractors on a level playing field with out-of-state firms.

John Strickland, president of the Maynard C. Smith Construction Co. of Kanawha City, says the prevailing wage has given West Virginia contractors space to develop a skilled and productive workforce.

He says without it there's nothing to stop outside companies from bringing in out-of-state, minimum-wage workers – and undercutting 300 to 400 local businesses.

"Local contractors and a road contractor from out of state will compete, and we won't be on a level playing field,” he points out. “So the local contractor will loose that project."

Supporters of repeal say it could reduce building costs on public projects – although several studies have found it would actually lower quality and raise costs in the long run.

The Senate is likely to vote on the measure this week.

Some of the letters argue that the state would lose more in lower income tax revenue and higher public assistance costs than it could hope to gain in reduced construction costs.

One separate study projected as much as $80 million a year in lost taxes.

Another found the wage enough to keep many from relying on programs such as food stamps.

Dan Tennant, sales manager for Kalkreuth Roofing, the nation's sixth-largest roofing company, says he applauds state lawmakers for trying to save taxpayer money.

But he says an Ohio County journeymen roofer only makes $28 an hour under the prevailing wage – more like $18 an hour once you count down time.

"No one's getting rich in the trades,” he maintains. “If they're careful with their money, they can make a nice living. But the important thing to know is none of them are on public assistance."

A report by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy found if you include quality and productivity, prevailing-wage work here costs less than non-prevailing wage work in neighboring states.

And Tennant says that's actually why Ohio is moving to put a prevailing wage more in place, just as West Virginia is considering its repeal.

"One of the things driving Ohio's decision to allow Prevailing Wage was the poor quality of the schools that were being built," he states.





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A new study by the Missouri Budget Project calls out some opposing views to the ballot measure known as Proposition A and included data to debunk them as "myths."

If it passes next month, Proposition A would raise Missouri's minimum wage from $12.30 an hour to $15 by 2026. Opponents said the increase would mostly affect young adults and teenagers.

Lindsey Baker, director of research for the Missouri Budget Project, disagreed. She said debunking the myth of whom the minimum wage increase affects is one of her organization's top priorities.

"One thing that people are often unaware of is just how many kids and families would benefit from this," Baker pointed out. "Often people have a stereotypical image of who 'minimum wage workers' are and really, they are all kinds of people."

The report shows one in four Missouri children lives in a household that would see its income rise with an increase in the minimum wage. Proposition A would also guarantee paid sick leave for more 700,000 Missouri workers who currently do not have it.

Opponents have said increasing the minimum wage would be bad for businesses and the economy, with the potential for job loss. Baker stressed it is also a myth.

"Consistently, when you look at before and after Missouri's own minimum wage increase that was implemented in 2019, we see that all of those things that were predicted by opponents that would happen -- job loss, all of those things -- really didn't happen," Baker outlined. "In fact, we did very well as a state after that."

The study indicates Missouri's unemployment rate went down faster than the national average and faster than each of the neighboring states not increasing their minimum wage. Baker added it is consistent with prior data suggesting a hike in the minimum wage increases employment, in part by reducing turnover among workers.


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Latinos in Arizona are an economic powerhouse, according to a new report. It shows the United States gross domestic product for Latinos was more than $3.6 trillion in 2022. To put it into perspective, as a standalone economy, it would be the fifth largest in the world.

A Latino Data Collaborative report showed the significant and influential economic contributions made by U.S. Latinos, who account for just under 20% of the nation's population. For Arizona, the number jumps to more than 30%.

José Jurado, research economist at Arizona State University and a contributor to the report, said among the 10 largest Latino economies in the U.S., Arizona has the third-largest Latino contribution to its GDP growth.

"It's important to notice that this growth is really coming from three pillars," Jurado explained. "The first one is education, the second one is a youthful population that is growing and rapidly joining the labor force and the third one is entrepreneurship."

The report found educational attainment among Latinos is on the rise. Between 2010 and 2022, the number of Latinos with at least a bachelor's degree rose almost 5%. While the U.S. economy saw a decrease of about 673,000 working-age people between 2021 and 2022, Latinos added 725,000 individuals to the pool.

Jurado contended the U.S. economy is clearly reliant on Latinos, as many not only contribute as employees but also play a vital role as entrepreneurs.

Latinos in Arizona have added more than $31 billion to the state's economy between 2017 and 2022, with manufacturing being a key driver. Jurado emphasized industry has noticed and is tapping into Arizona's economic vitality.

"My suspicion is that this growth is being concentrated," Jurado observed. "To some extent in the states in the southwest that are receiving a lot of investment from companies such as TSMC here in Arizona."

Jurado said current trends show Latinos in Arizona and across the country will be responsible for further sustained economic growth in the future.

For Pennsylvanians on the hunt for employment opportunities, the Keystone State still offers a favorable landscape.

The state's jobless rate stayed at a record low 3.4% in September, better than the national rate of 4.1%.

Claire Kovach, senior research analyst at the Keystone Research Center, said Pennsylvania is drawing significant attention as a swing state. The center analyzed key economic indicators, including unemployment, jobs and wages across all the state's counties. The state's unemployment rate has been historically low for more than two years.

"In every one of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, the unemployment rate is lower now than it was right before the pandemic, when the economy was strongest under President Trump's first term," Kovach pointed out. "It's lower everywhere, but there's also a clear geographic pattern. Unemployment is a lot lower than before the pandemic in western and rural Pennsylvania."

Kovach noted the center has an interactive map showing the drop in the unemployment rate by county. She added the research revealed two-thirds of counties have seen job growth since just before the pandemic, with faster growth in the eastern half of the state, which also has faster population growth.

Kovach emphasized the tight labor market indicates a strong overall economy in Pennsylvania and is especially good for workers.

"Low unemployment benefits workers, both individually and collectively, because it's giving them more bargaining power with their employers, more ability to get higher pay, better benefits and working conditions," Kovach explained. "With respect to workers' bargaining power, this is the best economy for Pennsylvania workers in half a century."

Kovach said despite Pennsylvania workers seeing wage growth above inflation over the last decade, Pennsylvania's minimum wage lags behind all neighboring states. She argued the gap particularly harms low-income workers, especially those in the bottom 30%. Research in the report further highlighted the effects of a stagnant minimum wage on workers.

"We found that Pennsylvania workers, the low earners, make about $1.71 less per hour than their regional counterparts in New York, Maryland and New Jersey," Kovach stressed. "If you look at that as full-time, year-round work, that's $3,500 a year less that our low-wage workers are getting paid in Pennsylvania."

The state's minimum wage remains at the federal level of $7.25 per hour.