Issue Position: Fairness

Issue Position

"This legislature has time and time again shown their unwillingness to foster an equitable, and inclusive West Virginia.

In an effort to weaken local nondiscrimination ordinances, the House of Delegates recently passed the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act." The proponents of the legislation have posited the idea that the advancement of LGBTQ rights has somehow encroached upon their religious freedom. This bill will serve one purpose, and that is to bolster discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ community already lacks equal protections under the law, which every American should enjoy. Such discriminatory policies signal to others that we are intolerant of difference in West Virginia. In my experience, that is not the case. West Virginians are kind, compassionate and welcoming people. As our young talent flees the state in droves, we cannot afford to push any others out the door, or actively discourage others from relocating to the Mountain State. The LGBTQ community needs more protections in WV, not less.

Equal pay remains an issue, and it's time we addressed it. Though women have made meaningful advances in the workforce, they remain underrepresented in high wage nontraditional occupations that have the potential to provide economic security.

In 2011, the National Household Survey indicated that males outnumber females approximately 16 to 1 in employment in the skilled trades. The majority of traditionally male professions offer higher wages than occupations where women remain concentrated, thus supporting women in accessing nontraditional employment is one way to mitigate the pay gap. Encouraging involvement in career and technical education programs that provide training in high skill, lucrative occupations is a good place to start. One statewide organization is doing just that, West Virginia Women Work, is working to place women in high skill, high wage union apprenticeships throughout the state. And doing so very successfully. The necessity of equal access to nontraditional occupations can be observed in the median hourly earnings of predominately female and male occupations. Further, the average male with a high school diploma earns roughly $711 per week, whereas the average female with a high school diploma earns merely $538. John will support creative solutions as described above; simultaneously, he will fight to pass equal pay legislation. This is a longstanding issue, which will require a multifaceted approach.

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