Posts tagged West Virginia
States Lead the Way on Portable Benefits and Flexible Work
March 24, 2026 // The momentum behind portable benefits reflects the strength of a growing network of organizations and leaders committed to modernizing workforce policy. Americans for Prosperity has worked in conjunction with a diverse range of state and national organizations including the Mercatus Center, Libertas Institute, Institute for the American Worker, Independent Women, R Street Institute, and more from state to state. With research, data, examples of those who would benefit, and a dose of optimism, the educational outreach to highlight how beneficial these reforms are to American families has created a surge of interest among state lawmakers who increasingly understand this golden opportunity to help their residents thrive in today’s economy including shifts due to the rise of AI and other technology.
The Rise of Portable Benefits
March 19, 2026 // States like Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming have already enacted voluntary portable benefits frameworks. Others—including Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Georgia—have launched pilot programs. And a growing number of states—from Connecticut to Kansas to Hawaii—are actively considering legislation.
Opinion: Teachers Unions Get Desperate
February 17, 2026 // Antichoice plaintiffs “usually file lawsuits right before families sign up for the program just to be particularly cruel. They know they’ll lose nearly every case, but delaying or enjoining the programs in any way is the last-ditch effort to slow maximum uptake for families,” says Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children. Many suits are striking out. Idaho’s high court just ruled 5-0 in favor of the state choice program. Top courts in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia have upheld choice programs. The U.S. Supreme Court has continued to issue beneficial rulings. Yet the legal threat is real, and unions, often accompanied by local school districts, continue to throw millions at litigation and disruption, forcing states to spend huge amounts to defend against them. Then the unions and the districts claim schools are underfunded.
West Virginia Mine Wars Museum staff unionize through UMWA
January 11, 2026 //
WV Quarry Workers Win Freedom from Unwanted Boilermakers Union
December 9, 2025 // The NLRB’s decision comes after IBB bosses “disclaimed interest” in the work unit, which followed a majority of workers signing a petition last month, asking the NLRB to hold a secret ballot election to “decertify” IBB union bosses as the workers exclusive representative. That petition was filed by quarry employee Curtis Mills with free legal representation from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
After Year-Long Effort, McDowell County Commission on Aging Employees Free Themselves From SEIU Union Bosses
November 16, 2025 // Majority of employees signed petition demanding Commission stop bargaining with SEIU; success follows months of union stonewalling
WV Millville Quarry Workers File Petition to Oust International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local DNCL Union Bosses
November 12, 2025 // Majority of Harpers Ferry quarry workers support petition seeking end of union monopoly “representation”
Podcast: Championing Worker Freedom Across The States: Alan Jernigan and Vincent Vernuccio on ALEC TV
August 23, 2025 // As debates over worker rights ripple across the country, one message continues to echo from state to state: workers deserve the freedom to choose the work arrangements that fit their lives best. But how should lawmakers turn that principle into policy?
Commentary: How Federal Workers Can Leverage Civil Disobedience as a Strategy to Win
May 27, 2025 // Strikes, slowdowns, sickouts—workers have many ways to withhold their labor to protest injustice in the workplace. Federal employees have no legal right to strike, which is why they have generally avoided this tactic. The last time there was a major strike by federal workers was in 1981. President Ronald Reagan crushed the strike by firing and replacing air traffic controllers who walked off the job, a moment widely viewed as the beginning of the labor movement’s decline. But there is much that separates the strike under Reagan from what federal workers face today under Trump. Reagan had both public sentiment and the law behind him when he fired over 11,000 federal workers.
Labor unions representing laid off NIOSH, CDC workers to protest in DC next week
May 20, 2025 // The unions are demanding four things, per the release: Full reinstatement of all laid-off employees Restoration of funding to all affected programs An end to “retaliatory and offsetting” layoffs Direct engagement with union leadership before any future restructuring at the federal level