Tweet

Jonathan Larsen

4 Mar, 11 tweets, 5 min read

@Sen_JoeManchin

While Democrats are fighting to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, @Sen_JoeManchin says he opposes it.

But he won't say whether he has a vested interest in doing so.

Turns out, he has a stake in at least one company that pays less than $15/hour.

tyt.com/stories/4vZLCH…

Legal documents allege Manchin has a financial stake in at least two WV companies that pay less than $15/hour and would have to pay their workers more if Manchin (and @SenatorSynema) signed off.

Neither company appears in Manchin's ethics filing:

beta.documentcloud.org/documents/2049…

One of the companies is a La Quinta, reportedly owned by Emerald Coast Realty... which is partially held by AA Properties, which Manchin DOES disclose owning on his ethics filing.

It's conceivable Manchin will deny AA has any stake in the La Quinta. Why?

Because the financial dealings are complicated -- involving longtime Manchin associates -- and past legal claims of AA stakes have been disputed before:

wvnews.com/theet/news/fre…

La Quinta nationally pays less than $15/hour for multiple jobs, according to Indeed.com.

The one in question, in Elkview, WV, pays even less.

Instead of $15/hour, Manchin is pushing an $11/hour minimum wage...

...which would mean a raise of eight cents an hour on average for La Quinta hotel housekeepers nationwide.

Manchin's stake in another company was first alleged by his own brother, John, who sued Manchin and a third brother for allegedly reneging on a seven-figure loan.

The suit claims Joe and Roch Manchin owned a WV carpet company now known as Wholesale Carpet Outlet (WCO).

John Manchin said he couldn't comment due to an NDA.

I emailed WCO and they said Sen. Manchin has never had a stake in WCO.

What's unclear is whether Manchin has an indirect stake via his brother or a third-party entity.

WCO didn't respond to my question about wages, but its PPP loan revealed data that led FederalPay.org to estimate its average annual pay at $22,896...

...which, in turn, if you assume two weeks paid vacation, translates into an average hourly pay rate of $11.01 an hour...

...one cent above the $11 rate Sen. Manchin supports.

To be fair, Manchin's finances are so opaque, he's been unsure himself of his assets.

But factoring in his other companies--e.g., coal and energy--and individual stocks he and family own (+$500,000 in one bank), odds are others working for Manchin are making less than $15, too.

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