CHARLESTON, W.V. — Republican state Senate candidate Chandler Swope refuted criticism that his construction company is using immigrant labor to build a Wayne County school. But that defense is now drawing scrutiny.

A YouTube video posted this spring showed an unidentified Honduran man working on a concrete crew at the new school site in Crum. The man said the rest of the crew is from Mexico.

Swope did not return calls to his campaign office or to Swope Construction, but in a video posted on Facebook by a voter, Swope said he is no longer involved with the company.

"My name is Chandler Swope and I was the founder of Swope Construction company, and retired and have not had anything to do with day-to-day operations at that company for the last four years,” Swope said in the video. "So I don't have any direct connection with who gets hired or not gets hired on that job."

That claim is now in question. The company's latest annual corporate report from the spring of 2016 lists Swope as it's treasurer. His campaign manager is the firm's president and majority stockholder. And a Swope campaign filing lists him as still having a financial interest in the company.

Swope praised the repeal of West Virginia's prevailing-wage law, a move that critics say has caused a race to the bottom on public construction projects - encouraging out-of-state contractors to undercut West Virginians' wages.

The Crum concrete crew appears to have been brought in by a Virginia company.

Swope defended Swope Contracting by claiming its subcontractors are the ones hiring immigrant labor.

"Anywhere from five to ten employees on a school job would be employed directly by Swope, and the remainder would be employed by subcontractors,” Swope said. "And if the bidder we believe is qualified, we'll use the lowest bids that we get. We do not ask them do they hire foreign employees."

But according to the Affiliated Construction Trades group, Swope Contracting filed a contract document saying the firm would be doing the concrete work itself. The union officials stress they bear no ill-will towards the immigrants themselves.

“They're just working stiffs, trying to make a living and support their families,” one official said.

But, he added, with so many unemployed in West Virginia, those jobs should go to state residents.



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The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has put a spotlight on the safety and stability of the U.S. financial system. Now, some experts are pointing to a greater role for community banks.

Nuray Ozbay, investment officer for Self Help Federal Credit Union in California, said Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions, known as CDFIs and MDIs, are comparatively well-capitalized, and with high levels of liquidity.

"Community banks, CDFIs and MDIs are usually financially conservative," Ozbay explained. "They put their members first, and they are usually risk-averse. So, they are safe places to invest."

Silicon Valley Bank focused heavily on startups while Signature Bank had a lot of money tied up in cryptocurrency. Ozbay noted local banks are much less likely to rely on such higher-risk investments.

Brady Quirk-Garvan, co-owner and financial adviser for Natural Investments, which helps people invest their money according to their values, said smaller credit unions are more accountable to their members, because the members are also the banks' main investors.

"They're more likely to take profits from the year and invest it in member services," Quirk-Garvan pointed out. "Whether that's hiring more tellers, or whether it's investing by making loans in a local community bakery, they're making a different set of decisions when it comes to their values."

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the FDIC, keeps the banking system stable by insuring all deposits up to $250,000, no matter the size of your bank.

Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle will pay workers at its former location in Augusta, Maine as part of a settlement over labor law violations. The National Labor Relations Board found the chain of restaurants broke laws by closing the location in July just weeks after employees became the first Chipotle workers in the country to file for union recognition. The company also blacklisted union organizers from being hired at other Chipotle locations.

Brandi McNease, Chipotle United organizer, said the company got the message.

"The union busting will not be tolerated and there's no way around it," she said.

Chipotle will pay a total of $240,000 to employees who were on the payroll when it closed the store, and offer "preferential rehiring" to all Augusta employees at its other Maine locations for up to one year.

The Augusta workers formed their union to bargain for safer working conditions, better staffing and a voice in any negotiations regarding workplace policies, they said. Now stores throughout the Northeast will post notices stating that Chipotle broke the law, and that employees have the right to unionize without consequences.
It is "a win for food service workers everywhere," McNease said.

"We fought for this specifically because the movement isn't over and every employee in those stores should know that they have rights and that the Labor Board is on our side," she added.

Chipotle was not forced to reopen the Augusta location, so workers say the payouts will help those who have yet to secure employment elsewhere, as well as inspire other Chipotle workers to stand up for respectful working conditions.


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More than one in three Ohioans are relying on credit cards for spending needs, and nearly a quarter say they've increased their credit-card use in response to cost-of-living increases, according to a new report.

Michael Welker, editor of Upgraded Points, a website tracking credit-card reward and travel programs, explained when the pandemic began, people spent less and got a financial boost from stimulus checks, leading to lower credit-card balances overall. Now, persistent high inflation is causing many to use credit to cover basic household expenses.

Welker said it poses a risk as interest rates rise.

"As you carry over balances month to month, and interest starts to accrue, potentially it's going to be even harder to pay down your debt," Welker advised. "That's going to be even more pressure, in terms of covering your household expenses."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed new regulations which would, among other changes, cap late fees for credit-card payments at 25% of the minimum payment amount. The agency is taking public comments about its proposal until April 3.

According to the report, nationwide more than 95% of people with annual incomes below $75,000 said they are feeling stressed about inflation. Welker recommended using credit cards only when needed to meet basic expenses, and shifting habits instead to reduce dining out, entertainment and other leisure spending.

"Be more mindful of your spending," Welker suggested. "Figure out where you might be able to cut or trim back, find less expensive alternatives."

He added consumers may soon feel relief as the federal government works to combat inflation, but only those who rein in their credit-card use.

"The Fed is still raising interest rates trying to tame inflation," Welker pointed out. "Potentially, at some point later in the year, we finally start to see that come down to a more manageable level."

In another survey, by Clever Real Estate, 40% of Americans believe high prices are the "new normal," and 62% say they expect everyday prices will be even higher this year.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.