Tennant Calls for Minimum Wage Increase, Capito Continues to Stonewall West Virginia Workers

Press Release

West Virginia Secretary of State and U.S. Senate nominee Natalie Tennant today again voiced her support for increasing the federal minimum wage during a visit to Jackie's Florist and Crafts in Brooke County.

Today's visit was personal for Tennant, who worked her way through college on a minimum wage job at a Morgantown florist shop.

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, has voted against raising the minimum wage eight times, including as recently as 2013. And while Congresswoman Capito voted against giving working West Virginians a raise, she voted twice to allow Wall Street CEOs to take huge bonuses, even as taxpayers were bailing them out.

"I was blessed to be able to work my way through college on a minimum wage job, but I worry that today's workers don't have that opportunity. Anyone who works hard for 40 hours a week, should be able to afford a roof overhead and food on the table. It's time Washington follows West Virginia's lead and raises the minimum wage," Tennant said.

Tennant pointed to statistics showing that a West Virginian who works full time on a minimum wage job earns just over $15,000 a year.

Tennant added that raising the minimum wage would be especially beneficial for women, who make up 2/3 of the minimum wage workers in West Virginia.

Tennant believes that raising the minimum wage should be phased in carefully to ensure it works for both workers and small business owners to maximize worker pay and job creation.

"Raising the minimum wage is just the first step," Tennant said. "We also have to invest in research, technology and manufacturing that will bring the next wave of high-paying jobs to West Virginia."

Tennant outlined her plan to create good-paying West Virginia jobs in her Jobs and Business Agenda.

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