The House of Delegates Industry and
Labor Committee has overwhelmingly approved legislation raising West Virginia
Under the bill, the minimum wage
would rise from the current $7.25 an hour to $7.85 an hour July 1st and then
rise again to $8.25 in July 2015.
Union members packed the cramped
committee room Wednesday afternoon and looked on as lawmakers debated the bill
before passing it on to the House Finance Committee on an 18-2 vote.
Bill supporters say the increase is
long overdue. West Virginia
Delegate Meshea Poore (D-Kanawha)
said raising the minimum wage will help people struggling to pay their
bills. “You have single family homes and that’s going to do a lot of good
for the mother who’s trying to provide for her family.”
Delegate Troy Andes (R-Putnam) voted against the bill, saying it
should be up to the employer and the employee to decide wages. He also
said labor leaders who arranged for the committee room to be packed were
engaged in “political theater.”
