By Oxfam’s Reckoning, There Is No Better Place for Work in America Than Washington, D.C.

A left-leading international relief organization is ranking American states on their favorability for workers ahead of the Labor Day holiday with — perhaps not surprisingly — the highest marks going to Democrat-led jurisdictions led by the District of Columbia and California.Oregon, New York, and Washington state, all Democrat-led, round out the top five slots in the annual ranking put out by Boston-based Oxfam America, which describes itself as “a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice.”It is the seventh year for the organization’s annual Best States to Work Index (BSWI), which covers all 50 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. It lists its criteria as wages, worker protections and the right to organize, all Democrat priorities.Five Republican-led states, where limited regulation and right-to-work policies are more likely to be prioritized, appear at the bottom of the list. They are Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina.Oxfam attributes D.C.’s leading score to the District’s minimum wage which is “the highest in the country, as well as one of the country’s strongest unemployment support systems and paid leave policies.” The District raised its minimum wage on July 1 to $17.95 for all workers.The New York Sun has asked the D.C. mayor’s office for comment.A spokesman for Governor Gavin Newsom of California welcomed his state’s ranking, telling The New York Sun in a statement that California is “THE top state to work in because we know that when workers do well, our businesses do well.”“With an increasing state population and record-high tourism spending, California is the nation’s top state for new business starts, access to venture capital funding, and manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture,” the spokesperson added.That contrasts with recent remarks by Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, who has said that businesses are fleeing to his state from California because of the latter’s high taxes, housing costs, and what he calls “anti-business policies.” Tesla and Chevron, among others, have made that move.The president and CEO of Oxfam America, Abby Maxman, criticized Trump administration policies, including cuts to Medicaid, food assistance programs, and foreign aid, in a statement sent to The New York Sun.“Now more than ever, it’s crucial that policymakers step up to protect workers and their families,” she said.The charity has made a number of recommendations, including raising the minimum wage at both state and federal level, abolishing sub-minimum tipped wages, and expanding paid medical and family leave.The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not been raised since 2009.

By Oxfam’s Reckoning, There Is No Better Place for Work in America Than Washington, D.C.

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