West VA Governor Reduces Unemployment; Causing People to Flock to His Low-Paying Business
When West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced his decision last month to cut federal unemployment benefits for his state’s jobless residents, he pointed to what he said was a plethora of openings for those who needed work.
“West Virginians have access to thousands of jobs right now. We need everybody back to work,” he said on May 14. “We’ve got to have you back to work. America is all about work. That’s what has made this great country."
Justice didn’t need to look far for examples of companies struggling to hire workers. The storied West Virginia resort he owns, the Greenbrier, has been looking for dozens of new employees in recent weeks and until recently had received far fewer applications than normal. But after Justice announced his decision, that started to change, said Kathy Miller, vice president of human resources at the luxury hotel.
“Fortunately the applicant pool has started to improve, so we’re very happy about that,” she said in an interview in late May, attributing the shift in part to the cutoff of extra federal payments and more widespread vaccinations. “I think that people are preparing, if they are under West Virginia unemployment, to get back into the workforce.”
By the way: according to Indeed, a sales associate makes $10.80/hr at Greenbrier. Before the change, West Virginians could expect to get between $24.00 and $424.00 per week for 26 weeks.
P.S.: the Democrats in Congress aren't doing anything to help.
Comments