Georgia ranks among worst states for workers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
State lawmakers and business boosters love to tout Georgia's reputation as a great place to do business. But, according to Oxfam America, it’s a terrible place to work.
Driving the news: Georgia was the one of the worst places to earn a paycheck, beating only North Carolina and Mississippi in the anti-poverty nonprofit's new study of the best — and worst — states to work.
- Oregon topped the list, followed by its West coast neighbors California and Washington.
Details: The state lost points for its lackluster wage policies. Georgia has not raised the state minimum wage higher than the federal standard of $7.25.
The nonprofit also dinged Georgia for its lack of workplace protections, such as not providing some form of paid family leave or offering accommodations for pregnant workers.
- And while the state does offer some protections, including a mandate for equal pay across gender and race, it stops short of extending those protections to domestic workers, Oxfam America says.
The big picture: Southern states, where lawmakers have passed employer-friendly "right to work" laws, dominated the bottom of the "best places to work" list.
- The laws make labor organizing difficult by prohibiting unions from requiring membership as a condition of employment.
The other side: Last October, Gov. Brian Kemp celebrated Georgia being named the best state to do business by trade publication Area Development for the eighth consecutive year.
- The state has also topped Site Selection magazine's version of the same list.