New Issue Brief Documents Pro-Worker Wins in the States Across 2026 Legislative Sessions
The NYU Wagner Initiative and State Futures highlight how states are protecting workers and advancing labor standards amidst federal rollbacks, mounting affordability crises and looming threats from AI and technology changes
Washington, DC – September 3 – Workers across the country are facing threats on multiple fronts. The federal government has stripped away labor protections, wage standards, and workplace safety enforcement, leaving workers increasingly exposed. Rising costs and stagnant wages are squeezing working families, and the rapid spread of AI and algorithmic management technology is reshaping the workplace in real time, with little transparency or accountability. State lawmakers are stepping in to expand worker protections, secure labor standards, and strengthen enforcement to hold violators accountable.
Today, State Futures and the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative released a new Issue Brief documenting workers’ rights wins from 2026 state legislative sessions: 91 bills passed across 19 states.
“The economy workers are navigating today looks nothing like it did even five years ago. Paychecks aren't keeping up. and increasingly, it's algorithms, not people, deciding who gets hired, what workers earn, and how productivity is judged.” said Gaby Goldstein, Founder and President of State Futures. “The federal government may have walked away from its responsibility to protect workers, but states have not.”
"As the Trump administration tramples on workers' rights, it's critical for state and local governments to step up and protect working people. As our issue brief shows, many states are passing policies to improve working conditions and advance labor rights, in relation to wages, workplace safety and health, organizing rights, paid leave, and more.” said Terri Gerstein, Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative. “On Labor Day 2026, state policymakers should commit to taking bold action to stand up for workers in the year ahead."
Key areas of state action documented in the brief include:
Organizing and bargaining power: Illinois created the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, which grants transportation network drivers, including rideshare and gig drivers, the right to organize, form unions, and bargain collectively.
Expanded enforcement capacity: Connecticut empowered the State Comptroller to withhold payments from contractors against whom the State Labor Commissioner has issued a stop work order for violating prevailing wage laws on public works.
Labor standards: Six states expanded leave policies, including Virginia, which established a paid family and medical leave program, with up to 12 weeks of leave at 80% of a worker’s average weekly pay, through a state-run universal insurance program.
Technology and the workplace: Rhode Island and Connecticut passed laws regulating quotas and productivity surveillance for warehouse workers.
Insulating workers from federal rollbacks: Washington and Maryland passed trigger bills tied to the narrowing or repeal of the NLRA, joining several other states who passed similar legislation in 2025.
Journalists covering worker rights and labor issues are encouraged to read the brief and reach out for interviews. State Futures and NYU Wagner can connect press with state policymakers actively pursuing these strategies.
Read the full issue brief: https://www.statefutures.org/research/2026-state-legislative-session-in-review-labor-workers-rights
About the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative : The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative helps government work for workers, through catalyzing action on policy, implementation, and enforcement, especially at the state and local levels. We serve as a hub of analysis, research and guidance on longstanding challenges and emerging developments affecting workers. We enlist new government players in workers' rights, build robust networks across jurisdictional lines, help connect government with worker organizations, offer strategic guidance and thought leadership, and provide insightful public programming, all aimed at improving working conditions locally and nationwide. The Labor Initiative is based at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. For more information, please visit https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative.
About State Futures: State Futures is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that supports a network of 850+ values-aligned state policymakers, including legislators and State Financial Officers. We support bold, values-aligned state leaders by convening them, equipping them with tools and resources, and empowering collective action to achieve impact beyond any single state. For more information, please visit https://www.statefutures.org.
Media Contact:
Kristen Wilder, Communications
###
