CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice met with members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Tuesday at the state capitol to show his support for the training initiative that he said will help West Virginia’s economy “take off like a rocket.”
“I am just here to congratulate you on being ahead of the curve,” Justice said. “You all did the hard work and believed, I am just here to put the cherry and whip cream on top.”
LiUNA gives former coal miners, manufacturing workers, military veterans and other unemployed people the opportunity to receive training in areas such as highway construction, pipeline building and more.
The training program is free for those who wish to participate. It’s self-funded by LiUNA and contractors.
LiUNA Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager Dennis Martire said the program gives West Virginians the chance at a high-paying job that would otherwise be filled by an out-of-state worker.
“Instead of bringing out-of-state people in here to take jobs away from local residents, why not train the people that are right here in the state looking for job opportunities,” Martire said. “Everybody wants a good job, there is no one out there who doesn’t want a living wage, healthcare, and a pension, and that is what we are providing.”
According to their own statistics, LiUNA spent 46,102 hours training workers between 2015 and 2016.
“The state of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are great opportunities if you want a job in the energy sector right now,” Martire said. “Infrastructure is coming to West Virginia, the dollars are going to be spent, we are going to build roads and bridges here in West Virginia. Why not do that with local people? This is the opportunity of a lifetime, anyone who is out there listening who wants to work eight hours for eight hours pay, we are open for business.”
Martire, who went to college West Virginia Wesleyan, said he thinks this is West Virginia’s chance to return to form.
“I looked at West Virginia as a state that was a very proud people, they were all about work, a good days work for a good days pay,” Martire said. “People had good jobs, but then the coal industry started to decline, the drug epidemic is rising, poverty is rising because people don’t have a job. You have this energy boom coming to the state, this is the opportunity.”
Chris Thatcher, a former coal miner who found himself out of work when the industry declined, said LiUNA gave him the training to get a good job anywhere.
“I was out of work for a short period,” Thatcher said. ” The training down in Parkersburg helped me hone my skills in the oil and gas industries, heavy highways, and general construction. I can go anywhere right now and be certain I can succeed in any industry.”