By: Sanath Nallagatla
This past week, I spoke with Miles Scales, Political Organizer for the Atlanta–North Georgia Labor Council, about the shift of labor advocacy in Georgia and across the nation. Georgia has historically been a “right-to-work” state, making it a difficult battleground for labor rights. With the new presidential administration sparking conservatism in legislation and the general population, many worker protections and organizing efforts face unprecedented challenges. I wanted to hear from a local leader fighting to defend the rights of working people in the South.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Miles has spent the past year and a half organizing with the Atlanta–North Georgia Labor Council, where he also leads the Young Labor Leaders of Tomorrow committee to mentor union advocates. He’s active in the Atlanta Jobs With Justice Coalition and contributed to the AFL-CIO’s Labor Votes Campaign. Miles is a proud member of PPPWU Local 527 and believes organized labor is one of the most important parts of an equitable society.
There is a national trend of conservative state labor laws due to a push from the current presidential administration. From your position, how has this political impact affected the ability to advocate for better wages and conditions for Georgia’s most vulnerable workers?
The political environment right now has made it much harder to advance pro-labor legislation in Georgia. Since the new administration took office, we’ve seen a new push for so-called “worker freedom” bills that actually weaken bargaining rights and limit local governments from setting higher wage standards. For example, there has always been an effort in the Georgia legislature to block counties from adopting fair scheduling or paid leave ordinances and this legislation has been revisited in 2024. Those kinds of preemption laws make it difficult to improve conditions at the local level right now.
Given that Georgia’s blue-collar workforce relies on immigrant labor, how does the current climate of increased immigration enforcement perpetuate employer intimidation?
When immigration enforcement increases, employers tend to circumvent worker rights whether through below minimum wages or dangerous working conditions that have been seen in many processing plants in Gainesville. We’ve seen it most clearly since the state began using programs like 287(g) which allows local sheriffs to cooperate with ICE and with the expansion of E-Verify requirements for employers. Even if someone has legal work papers, being an immigrant worker comes with hardships especially during this administration.
Employers are taking advantage of these policies to shoot down complaints from workers. In some facilities, supervisors remind employees that their status could be checked at any time or threaten employees that question their pay or safety with immigration enforcement. This causes a work environment where employees are reluctant to report any sort of transgression against them. These policies basically give employers the ability to cut corners and push labor beyond legal limits because they know many employees feel they cannot speak up without risking their livelihoods.
Specifically, how does it affect workers’ willingness to report wage theft or dangerous work conditions?
Again, it shuts them down completely. If you’re undocumented or even just uncertain about your status, you don’t call OSHA when your supervisor is cutting corners on safety. You don’t file a wage claim when your paycheck comes up short. You keep your head down out of fear of stricter immigration enforcement. That’s why labor unions and community groups matter so much. They can serve as a bridge, connecting workers to legal help without exposing them directly. We’ve helped folks recover wages that way, but the fear of getting deported is always there.
If you could advocate for a state-level policy change to most improve the lives of Georgia’s labor force, what would it be and why?
I’d probably start with raising the state minimum wage. Georgia still defaults to the federal rate of $7.25 which just isn’t a living wage anywhere, especially not in metro Atlanta. We need a wage floor that is balanced with the real cost of living.
Also, I strongly advocate for weakening the restrictions on public sector collective bargaining. Right now, it’s actually extremely difficult for public servants like teachers and sanitation workers to negotiate a contract, and even when they can, the contract is limited. Changing that would be monumental. When they can win better pay and safer staffing it would set a higher standard for everyone which would force the private sector to compete.
Are there examples of successful worker-led organizing or advocacy in Georgia’s low-wage industries that provide a model for the future? What do these successes imply about the current state of labor relations in the South?
Absolutely. Look at what’s happened with the Starbucks workers here in Atlanta, or the campaigns among warehouse and food service workers in Savannah and Athens. These are worker-led movements with no big national unions swooping in- just people organizing on their own terms. What that shows is that despite the South’s historical aversion towards labor rights, pathways to change are opening up as people mobilize more. When people see results like safer conditions or better schedules it changes the typical narrative of the South.
Finally, for our readers who are concerned about the rights of workers, what is the most effective action they can take as citizens to make their voices heard on these issues?
The biggest thing is to show up. Call your legislators, sign up for alerts from local labor councils, attend a rally or a city council meeting, and bring your friends and family. You can also start by learning more about labor unions and how they operate. Volunteer and help out campaigns. Even small actions like these make a difference. Change starts when more and more people take part, and if people in Georgia do that, the labor movement will look a lot more different in the next few years.
