By Dev Wakeley, worker policy advocate (dev@alarise.org), and Adam Keller, Worker Power Campaign director (adam@alarise.org)

Alabama has a history of anti-worker policies that prioritize the interests of wealthy corporations over those of working people. This top-down structure has led to our state falling behind in measurable standards of well-being.

Alabamians have shorter lifespans, worse health and lower pay than people in other states. These disparities are bad for all Alabamians, and they are significantly worse for women and Black and Hispanic people.

To move Alabama toward an economic structure that values worker well-being and uplifts workers’ voices in their workplaces, Alabama Arise is working to advance policies to improve working conditions and stop common types of worker abuse. These policies include:

• Remove tax incentives from bad-actor companies that break the law and violate workers’ rights. Our state hands out corporate tax breaks that often lack key accountability mechanisms to ensure companies are creating good jobs with this public money. This amount can reach into the hundreds of millions for individual companies, including some money that ends up benefiting companies that violate child labor laws. Arise will support a bill to remove tax incentives from companies that benefit from illegal – and often physically dangerous – employment of children, and to deny them eligibility for future incentives.
• Expand paid leave to cover more workers and apply to more needs. Lawmakers last year implemented paid parental leave for state workers, K-12 teachers and staff, and two-year college workers. Arise will seek to keep momentum going to expand paid family leave to cover more workers across Alabama and to apply to additional caregiving needs.
• Create protections for temp workers. Temp workers are routinely subject to greater abuses than the working population generally. This tiered system pays temp workers poorly, undermines worker solidarity and mires them in insecurity. Arise will support policies to improve conditions for temp workers and boost pathways for them to transition into more permanent roles.

Working Alabamians are the heart of our economy. Improving working conditions and empowering workers will build a better, more vibrant future for everyone.