February 14, 2018
W.Va. school employees demanding pay raises and health benefits
There will be no school for several counties in West Virginia this Friday as school employees across the state travel to Charleston to lobby legislators for decent pay and benefits.
Wayne County, WV teachers including Fort Gay were also out on Monday 2/9/18 to gather public support for their effort to get pay raises and guaranteed health insurance. (see photo)
Following many protests, rallies and walk-ins at schools across the state over concerns about Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) raises and wage increases — area educators gathered Tuesday night.
Fort Gay Elementary and Pre-K (FGPRK) teachers were out asking for the public to show their support for state-wide Public Employee Insurance
“Actually we are not protesting, only making the community aware of the extreme increased PEIA insurance cost, low wages, & seniority rights for all state employees,” Ft. Gay mayor Joetta Hatfield said. “Governor Justice’s announcement on Tuesday was not enough, his decision to freeze the PEIA plans just doesn’t provide for the needs of the educators.”
Vera Miller, president of the Cabell County Education Association, said, “We want to be in our classrooms, we want to provide education for our students, but we also need to pay our bills.”
