West Virginia’s minimum wage has been stuck at $8.75 for a decade, while several surrounding states whose economies are booming have leapfrogged our rate. Our minimum wage keeps a worker with one child below the federal poverty level and far below the living wage for West Virginia. This shameful situation needs to be addressed by the legislature by setting a humane and adequate wage with a cost-of-living multiplier.
A low minimum wage affects the health and well-being of an entire family. The families of working mothers pregnant or with babies and young children are especially vulnerable. A low minimum wage is way below adequate to build and sustain healthy children. And it can lead to the disintegration of families and put more stress on the state’s already overstressed foster care system.
The minimum wage is established by the state of West Virginia and applies equally to every county in the state. It isn’t just a measure of how much a person can make, it’s also a proxy for how much dignity we assign to a job. A minimum wage can by rights be associated with minimum dignity, especially when it isn’t high enough to pay the bills and live comfortably. The minimum wage has to be pegged to the rate of inflation to maintain a person’s regard for their job.