Labor and business leaders in West Virginia
“It was national. It was the
discord between Congress and the Senate. It was Republican and Democrat and the
President and all of them can take credit for it, every one of them because
there was nothing getting done,” West Virginia AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue
said.
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
President Steve Roberts sees it a little differently. He said Republican gains
at the Statehouse have been building for the last decade and state residents
spoke with a “sure and strong voice” that they desire a different direction for
West Virginia
Roberts said he’s looking forward
to what a Republican-led legislature can do for the current business climate.
“I’m one of those people who
believes that one good session of the legislature will be a very good start,”
he said. “I think we’re going to have a legislature that really understands it
was elected to make changes, to not do things in the same old way.”
The labor leader Perdue said there
was really nothing that could be done by their candidates to get out of the way
of the national tidal wave that occurred last Tuesday.
“The voters of this state are very
angry obviously at this country. While we sensed some of that, there wasn’t
anybody who could have predicted the way this election turned. It was a total
shock to me and everyone around us,” Perdue said.
Now both business and labor will
begin focusing on the upcoming legislative session. As Roberts mentioned he
believes much can be accomplished. Perdue said he hopes Republican leaders have
an open door policy.
“I understand the Republicans have
an agenda and I can appreciate that,” Perdue said. “I just hope that they will
listen to us if we are in the middle of some of the issues.”
The 60-day regular legislative
session begins in January.
