Illinois, U.S.A. — Manufacturing employment in West Virginia dropped 1.3% over the past twelve months according to the 2013 West Virginia Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI). MNI reports West Virginia lost 1,113 industrial jobs or 1.3% between July 2011 and July 2012, a greater decline than the half percent loss reported over the 2010-2011 survey period.

Manufacturers’ News reports West Virginia is now home to 1,947 manufacturers employing 83,225 workers.

“West Virginia still struggles with decreased demand and high business costs,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “When choosing a location for a new plant, manufacturers look at labor and energy costs, as well as the tax and regulatory burdens. West Virginia often has not been competitive with other states in these areas.”

MNI reports employment in coal mining was one of the few bright spots for the state with employment up 7.5% over the year, and currently accounts for the most industrial job in the state, employing 13,661. The chemicals sector employs the second most with 8,220 jobs, down 6.4% over the year. Third-ranked industrial equipment and machinery accounts for 7,064 manufacturing jobs, down 8.8% over the past twelve months.

Employment losses were also seen in textiles/apparel, down 19.6%; lumber/wood, down 7.1%; transportation equipment, down 5.5%; furniture/fixtures, down 5.3%; and stone/clay/glass, down 2.1%. Employment remained steady in paper products and printing/publishing, while gains were seen in electronics, up 4.8%; instruments/related products, up 2%; primary metals, up 1.6% and food products, up 1%.

Additional bright spots for the state included Nippon Thermostat’s plans to expand its plant in Putnam County; Hino Motors’ planned expansion of its facility in Williamstown; the opening of Spanish auto parts supplier Gestamp’s new location in South Charleston; and the expansion of Rubberlite’s factory in Huntington.

Manufacturers’ News reports the Northern region of the state accounts for 39,005 industrial jobs, down 3.1%. The Southwest region is home to 30,279 manufacturing jobs, up 1%, while Central West Virginia is home to 7,684, down 1.6%. The Southeast accounts for 6,257 industrial jobs, with no change reported over the past twelve months.

MNI’s city data shows Huntington is West Virginia’s top city for manufacturing employment, home to 6,035 jobs, down 1.9% over the year. Second-ranked Charleston accounts for 4,398 jobs, up 2.9%.Morgantown is now home to 4,288 industrial jobs, down 15.3% over the year after Shaft Drillers International moved its headquarters to Pennsylvania. Industrial employment in Moorefield increased 4.7%, with the 4th-ranked city accounting for 3,333 of the state’s jobs. Fifth-ranked Martinsburgaccounts for 2,739 jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of West Virginia’s 1,947 manufacturers and 320 distributors can be found in the 2013 West Virginia Manufacturers Register, available in print for $87, or available online through MNI’s subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 7,543 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories. For 100 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour state business registrations, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, visit www.manufacturersnews.com.

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This afternoon, Putnam Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope granted preliminary approval to comprehensive settlements agreed to by  Monsanto company and the Calwell Practice PLLC that resolve all claims in all pending litigation as well as all class actions filed in West Virginia. The litigation, including the pending class action suits relate specifically to a chemical plant once located in Nitro, West Virginia and activities which took place 40 to 60 years ago.

“These settlements ensure that both individual and community concerns are addressed, and services are made available for the people of Nitro,” said Scott Partridge, vice president of Monsanto company. ”We are pleased to resolve this matter and end any concerns about historic operations at the Nitro plant.”

“The settlements provide needed medical benefits and remediation services to the people of Nitro and broader community,” said Class Counsel Stuart Calwell of the Calwell Practice. “The principal goal of the litigation was to provide long-term medical monitoring and to provide professional cleaning of individual homes.”

These resolutions provide for eligible class members in the Nitro community to have their health monitored and to have their houses professionally cleaned. Approximately 4,500 homes are located in areas where individual remediation of homes may be desirable.  A program will be created to offer free professional cleaning of these homes and provide funding of up to $9 million dollars for this purpose.

The parties have agreed that a thirty-year medical monitoring program will be established at a local hospital. Thousands of persons who lived, worked, or attended school in the Nitro area during the period of time covered by the lawsuit will be eligible to apply for benefits.  The plan will be supported by a primary fund of $21 million dollars which will pay for medical testing of eligible class members.

Up to $63 million dollars in additional funding will be available over the thirty-year life of the medical screening program. In addition to the direct benefits these agreements will provide to the residents of the Nitro area, Monsanto has agreed to pay Court approved legal fees and litigation costs incurred by Class Counsel over the last seven years.

The class action resolutions will now be fully reviewed by Circuit Judge Derek Swope to ensure the fairness of the class action settlement agreements.

Monsanto noted that this settlement will allow it to maintain its focus on its global agriculture business and its commitment of investing in improved seed products for farmers throughout the world. Monsanto indicated that, for fiscal year 2012, the settlement will not affect ongoing earnings per share but the one time expense will reduce as reported earnings per share by approximately $0.05.

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The Commonwealth Foundation released an alarming new report on Pennsylvania public welfare that finds widespread abuse of tax dollars, with spending growing faster than the economy and exceeding education appropriations for the first time in state history.

Policy analysts from the free-market think tank examined numerous documented cases of fraud, waste and abuse including service providers billing the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare for luxuries such as a chandelier, landscaping, a six-person hot tub and a bowling alley.

“Government welfare was once a helping hand to those in need, but has instead become a tangled bureaucracy of often abused programs that fall far short of the good intentions behind them,” said Matthew J. Brouillette, president and CEO.  “While some say reforms unfairly hurt the poor, the reality is Pennsylvania is quickly reaching a point where the tax base cannot support the benefits lawmakers are promising.”

Analysts also found DPW represents the largest department in the state’s General Fund, encompassing nearly 40 percent of the budget.  Despite dramatic increases in welfare spending, they conclude measures have failed to free Pennsylvanians from a poverty rate that has been climbing since 2000.

“The welfare system in Pennsylvania is expensive, ineffective, and largely unaccountable,” said Brouillette.  “It should be no surprise then that ever-increasing welfare spending is simply failing to bring independence to citizens.”

According to U.S. Census data, Pennsylvania is among the top-10 states in budget percentage spent on public welfare, surpassing neighboring states such as Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia.  Moreover, the number of Pennsylvanians receiving food stamps benefits is at an all-time high while increases in welfare spending outpace personal income and state tax revenue growth.

“The majority of welfare programs and their funding originate with the federal government, leaving states with little room for innovation and flexibility in their administration,” said Brouillette.  The current federal funding system actually encourages states to spend more in order to draw down additional federal funds.

Among the foundation’s recommendations are calls for state legislators to aggressively pursue waivers as other states have successfully done in order to overcome federal mandates and save taxpayers’ money.  They also recommend DPW rapidly cuts waste and abuse by reducing error rates and enforcing eligibility standards. Additionally, legislators should utilize performance-based budgeting to expand programs that work and end programs that don’t.

“If no action is taken, welfare spending will continue to crowd out other departments like education and transportation, depriving the truly needy from proper care and leading to future tax increases,” said Brouillette.  “If that happens, lawmakers will be delivering decades of dependence instead of dignity.”

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