MORGANTOWN —– Gov. Jim Justice joined with Senate President Craig Blair and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw on Thursday morning to announce two planned measures to benefit state workers: a pay raise and an “inflatocine.”
The Legislature will take up and is expected to pass a 5% pay raise for all state employees, they said. This would be the third 5% raise during Justice’s tenure.
“Inflatocine” is Justice’s coined term for what he says will be a one-time “inflation vaccine,” a 2.5% lump-sum payment for all state workers. For example, he said, someone earning $40,000 would get a $1,000 check.
“Just because our state’s doing good doesn’t mean it can’t do better.” While it’s the state’s responsibility to look after the interests of all, “we’ve got to look after our employees as well. We want to reward all their work.”
Turning to the inflatocine, Justice again criticized the direction of the Biden administration, citing record inflation, high gas prices and predicted higher home heating prices this winter. And Christmas is on the way.
That’s why they decided to offer this inflation vaccine, he said.
Blair said, “All three of us and our members are out fighting the fight to make a better life for the people in West Virginia.”
State employees are working together as a team, he said. The state has record low unemployment, record budget surpluses, record economic development and the pension systems are in the best shape in decades.
“There’s a newfound spirit and optimism in the state of West Virginia,” he said. With all that, the pay raise and inflatocine amount to a dividend for state workers. “I’m confident we will have no trouble getting this through the Legislature.”
Hanshaw said it’s time to recognize they have some resources available to address some long-neglected problems and to address things they don’t often like to talk about.
Those things include, he said, double-digit vacancies in school classrooms and chronic turnover in important state jobs. The House supports the pay raise, he said, and he expects it to pass.
Both measures will be taken up during the 2022 session, which begins Jan. 12. In statements released after the press conference, neither Blair nor Hanshaw mentioned the inflatocine, and their offices said that measure hasn’t been fully discussed. But all three said they aim to pass the raise as quickly as possible.
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