Urge lawmakers to give working families fair wages, paid family and medical leave, and the right to organize

Jack, 

As the Trump administration continues to openly favor the ultra-rich over ordinary people at every chance, the fight for workers has never been more urgent.

The trends are stark. Billionaires pay a lower tax rate than working families in the U.S. In 2024, the world’s billionaires got $2 trillion richer. And just last month, Trump and his allies in Congress bankrolled massive tax handouts for the ultra-rich and corporations while slashing essential services that tens of millions of people rely on.

Meanwhile, the U.S. federal minimum wage has not budged in 16 years, and even the highest state minimum wage is not enough to support a family.

Millions of families across the U.S. are trapped in cycles of working poverty due to gaps in wages, worker protections, and rights to organize—policies that vary tremendously depending on where you live and what your job is. Women, communities of color, and single parents feel the impacts of these unequal labor policies the most.

In Oxfam’s seventh edition of our Best States to Work Index, we show just how deep these workplace disparities are. For example, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee all have a minimum wage stuck at the federal level of $7.25, and none mandate paid leave. By contrast, the District of Columbia has the highest minimum wage and some of the strongest unemployment support systems and paid leave policies in the country (with California, Oregon, New York, and Washington scoring well on these metrics, too).

At a time when so many working families are struggling to make ends meet, lawmakers must pass policies that grant all workers the respect, protection, and dignity they deserve. Sign our petition to demand fair wages, paid family and medical leave, the right to organize, and real protections for workers’ well-being across the country.

In Solidarity,

Oxfam America