Oxfam, a global nonprofit devoted to fighting poverty, recently released its annual Best States to Work in America report. The study, which covers all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, examines three dimensions of state policies: wages, worker protections, and rights to organize. Wage policies include minimum wage laws and the ratio of unemployment payments to the cost of living. Worker protections include paid sick/family leave and considerations for pregnant/breastfeeding women, while rights to organize considers the existence of "right to work" laws (which suppress union activity) as well as collective bargaining and wage negotiation. The report's data is based on laws and policies in effect as of July 1, 2021. "As the federal government has failed for decades to pass updates in labor laws, it's fallen to the states to determine wages, conditions, and rights," the study states. "The result is an ever-changing crazy patchwork of laws, which have deepened inequality on geographic lines, and left millions of working families struggling to stay afloat." See our slideshow above for the top and bottom five states in the country for workers. Related: |

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