Labor Policy Series A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America
States That Work: A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America – 3rd Edition
States That Work: A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America is ALEC's third-edition ranking of how all 50 states protect worker freedom and workplace flexibility. Reflecting policies effective as of February 2025, it scores each state against 10 model labor reforms — Arizona earned the first-place ranking, while Alaska placed last. Everything above the first heading appears on the Overview tab — use it as the report's introduction.
Chapter 1: Never Off the Clock
In 2023, ALEC celebrated 50 years of championing free market-friendly labor policies across industries, sectors, and the spectrum of labor issues. As the first episode in the ALEC 50th anniversary article and video series, "Worker Freedom" set the tone for the celebration of the reforms driving change across the nation and highlighted ALEC's pivotal role in securing worker freedom policy wins across the states. Even so, just as it is for the entrepreneurs, craftspeople, and laborers driving America's economy forward, the work is never done — no policy victory is ever final.
- Michigan repealed its Right-to-Work protections in February 2024 — the first state to do so in 58 years
- The U.S. Department of Labor issued a new independent contractor rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act
- The NLRB's expanded joint employer rule was struck down by a federal court
- Georgia and Alabama followed Tennessee in tying state subsidies to secret-ballot union votes
Chapter 2: Understanding the State Pages
As explained in the introduction, 10 state-level labor policies were selected as consequential reforms that promote worker and workplace freedom, and these are listed on each state page as potential achievements. States that have passed substantial legislation consistent with these ALEC model policies receive a full gold star, increasing their overall Labor Policy Rank; states with partial reforms receive half stars, and states that have not passed the reforms receive none.
Labor Policy Rank
States are ranked on a 1–50 scale by how many gold stars they earn — one for each model reform passed. Ties are broken using state employment data, favoring states where government jobs are a smaller share of total jobs.
Labor Policy Checklist
Each state page lists 10 vetted reforms — from the Right-to-Work Act to the Open Contracting Act — recommended by ALEC's Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force.
Chapter 3: Understanding the Policies
Each of the 10 model policies is explained in detail across three groups: private sector worker policies like the Right-to-Work Act and Uniform Worker Classification Act, occupational licensing reforms like universal recognition, and public sector policies that protect workers' Janus rights. Together they give lawmakers a menu of vetted, ready-to-use reforms for expanding worker freedom.
Chapter 4: State Comparison Charts
Chapter 4 ranks and compares the 50 states across the data behind their labor landscape — the share of jobs that are government jobs, average 10-year private employment growth (2014–2024), state minimum wages, and public and private union membership. First place indicates the most worker-friendly outcome, while 50th indicates the least.
Key Takeaways
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