By Ross Williams | Deputy Editor
Happy Labor Day to all who celebrate.
A new report from international anti-poverty organization Oxfam ranks Georgia No. 46 in its annual “Best States to Work in the U.S.” list.
You never really want to be ranked 46th in anything, but to be fair, the list is out of 52 because of Washington DC and Puerto Rico, so at least we’re not in the bottom five.
Also from the silver linings department, Georgia climbed three spots this year because of a state law guaranteeing paid lactation breaks for workers.
Reporter Maya Homan has the latest about how the daily grind in the Peach State stacks up with other states across the country.
Protesters march for higher wages in Atlanta. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
LABOR
By Maya Homan
Georgia has made modest gains, but remains one of the worst states to be a worker in 2026, according to a new report from Oxfam America.
The state’s top leaders often tout Georgia’s credentials as “the best place to live, work and raise a family,” but this year’s rankings — which span all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — place Georgia near the bottom of the list.
Members of Virginia Professional Firefighters association hold signs during their biannual convention in May to protest Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s veto of collective bargaining legislation. New research found a significant spike in labor union membership, but growth is highly dependent upon state politics. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
LABOR
By Kevin Hardy
Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states.
Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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