The House Committee on Industry and Labor convened at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan 30 in 215-E to consider a bill.
House Bill 2646 was on the agenda for the committee, a bill that was picked up from a previous committee meeting.
House Bill 2646 would add a new section under the West Virginia Wage Payment and Collection Act that would add protections for employers and small contractors throughout the state. The section requires that an employee seeking the remainder of wages or fringe benefits after they leave their place of employment to make a written demand to his or her employer requesting those items. The bill would also require the employee to provide the employer 30 days to correct the alleged underpayment or non-payment of wages and fringe benefits, before taking steps to pursue any civil action.
Delegate Buck Jennings, R-Preston, argued for the bill, saying “All this bill would do is give the employer time to pay late wages they may be unaware of,” said Jennings. “This is going to prevent unnecessary class action lawsuits.”
Several delegates, such as Delegate Phillip Diserio, D-Brooke, were concerned about the impact that the bill would have on unaffiliated state workers.
“This bill would highly impact the state construction worker, who is oftentimes more separated from their employer,” Diserio said. “We have people out there without anybody to represent them or fight for them, and this hurts them.”
Geoff Foster, R-Putnam, supported the bill and its amendments.
“This will probably even help the employee get their money quicker and easier with that documentation,” said Foster.
House Bill 2646 was approved by the House Committee on Industry and Labor in a close vote. House Bill 2646 was advanced to the House Judiciary Committee with the recommendation that it do pass.
