Texas is good for business but bad for workers

Texas is practically the worst state for workers, according to a new study by Oxfam America.

Driving the news: States were ranked on wages, worker protections and employees' ability to unionize.

• Oregon is the best state for workers, and North Carolina is the worst.
• Texas ranked 48th.

Details: The report points to wages lagging inflation, COVID-19 and several states' abortion restrictions as causes for more perilous work conditions.

• Texas earned a zero for its right-to-organize score because it's a right-to-work state and doesn't require collective bargaining for public workers, among other factors.

The big picture: The study comes on the heels of a new Gallup poll that says 71% of Americans support labor unions, the highest percentage since 1965.

Yes, but: Houston workers continue to organize, with two new unions formed in the last few weeks.

• Workers at the Starbucks in Montrose successfully unionized after a months-long campaign, the first shop in Houston to do so.
• Employees at Republic National Distributing Co. in Houston also won a certification election this month, according to the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation.