CHARLESTON – Thousands of Americans are starting to take notice of the Mountain State as indicated in a recent editorial in the Orange County Register titled, "Californians are West Virginia Dreaming."
As folks escape high-cost areas such as California, our lawmakers must entice these folks to West Virginia. Reversing our population trends and creating positive net domestic migration is how we continue down our pathway to prosperity.
What we need now is to double down on attracting new workers to fill the thousands of jobs coming to the Mountain State. What we don’t need are California-style labor policies — the policies that thousands of workers are currently escaping from — being forced on us from the federal level. That is why Ms. Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s nomination for secretary of labor, should be rejected.
Hoylman
| Courtesy photo
We have seen programs such as Ascend West Virginia provide incentives to attract workers to the Mountain State. Combine this with tax reform and removing barriers to growth, and we have created an environment that has put West Virginia on the map.
At the same time, more and more folks are coming to the state as they seek out affordable housing and the opportunity to embrace recreational pursuits. Just like Stephen Moore said during the tax debate, we have created a flashing billboard to the rest of country that West Virginia is open for business.
But we won’t be if Ms. Su is confirmed and brings her approach to labor policy to Washington.
Ms. Su’s track record as California’s secretary of labor raises serious concerns for the future of the American workforce, especially as we see continued labor shortages and record inflation.
Chief among those concerns is Ms. Su’s support for and enforcement of California’s Assembly Bill 5, legislation that threatens to destroy the livelihoods of millions in that state by instituting a convoluted and unworkable “ABC” test. This policy has deprived tens of thousands of freelance workers of their independent status and entrepreneurial opportunities. AB 5 is so perplexing that hundreds of industries have sought exemptions from it.
West Virginia used to utilize what is known as an “ABC test” until we removed that restriction with the passage of Senate Bill 272 in 2021. This legislation has not only prevented West Virginia from imposing the same types of economic restrictions that are now causing significant job losses in states like California, but made the criteria clearer for independent contractors, employees, and those businesses who use their services to confidently comply with West Virginia law.
This has been part of our effort to ensure we attract the right employees to the state who want to positively contribute to West Virginia’s economy. The only way these successes can be reversed is by a federal labor secretary who bragged that she would use an “armed labor police force” to enforce California labor policies with the goal of arresting anyone for violations their employment laws.
We need a nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor who will better protect the livelihoods of independent and remote workers and the wellbeing of small businesses. If we are going to really build up the U.S. and West Virginia economies, we need to protect those who are on the frontline of growing it.
Confirming Ms. Julie Su to lead the U.S. Department of Labor would be tantamount to taking California’s failures national. American workers simply cannot afford to let that happen. I urge Senator Joe Manchin to reject Ms. Su as labor secretary.
Hoylman is president and CEO of Associated Builders & Contractors of West Virginia.