NYU Wagner Labor Initiative and State Futures Release Joint Issue Brief on Strengthening Workers' Rights Through Interstate Cooperation
As Federal Labor Protections Diminish, New Report Charts Collaborative State Response
State Futures and NYU Wagner Labor Initiative release roadmap for interstate action on workers’ rights
A new report released by State Futures and the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative lays out a bold, practical roadmap for how states can join forces to protect workers’ rights in the face of federal retreat on workers’ rights.
The Issue Brief, Strengthening Workers’ Rights and Labor Protections Through Interstate Cooperation, offers a playbook for how states can coordinate policy, enforcement and visibility, using tools like interstate compacts and tactics like joint enforcement, resource pooling, and coordinating legislation to amplify impact across borders.
“This is a moment of crisis, but also one of opportunity,” said Gaby Goldstein, President of State Futures. “States don’t need permission to act. By sharing resources, harmonizing standards, coordinating legislation and holding low-road employers accountable across borders, states can reshape the labor landscape on behalf of working people despite the disintegration of federal protections.”
“At this time of federal rollbacks, states are a crucial defense against corporations that commit wage theft, provide dangerous workplaces, illegally retaliate, and otherwise exploit workers,” said Terri Gerstein, Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative. “By taking joint action and collaborating, states can achieve greater impact and economies of scale—not only enforcing existing laws but also achieving genuine wins and advancing workers’ rights.”
The brief shares existing examples of state cooperation and outlines new proposals such as:
- Regional mediation services to replace the dismantled Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS);
- Shared databases of labor violators to coordinate debarment and enforcement;
- Augmented joint enforcement against corporations that violate laws in multiple states;
- Joint “drop dates” for labor legislation across states to build visibility and momentum; and
- Interstate Compacts to raise labor standards and align procurement
This brief follows a recent Labor Day op-ed by Goldstein and Gerstein in Talking Points Memo, calling for a multi-state surge of pro-worker policy as federal institutions retreat. The brief builds on that vision with specific strategies and tools that can be adapted by lawmakers, governors, attorneys general, and labor commissioners.
Journalists covering labor policy, state government, worker protections, or federal-state tensions are encouraged to read the brief and reach out for interviews. Both authors are available for comment, and can connect press with state policymakers actively pursuing this agenda.
View the full Issue Brief here: https://www.statefutures.org/research/issue-brief-labor-interstate-cooperation
About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit that supports a growing network of 600+ values-aligned state legislators and State Financial Officers, facilitating cross-state collaboration on issues like labor, health care, immigration, and elections. State Futures supports both rapid-response coordination and long term working groups that serve as hubs of policy expertise, strategy, and multi-state action. For more, visit https://www.statefutures.org.
About NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative studies and catalyzes the often-untapped potential of government in relation to workers' rights. Based at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Labor Initiative helps government work for workers, by serving as a hub of analysis, research, and implementation guidance, as well as idea generation and dissemination, related to the role of government in advancing and protecting workers’ rights, with a special focus on state and local government. For more, visit https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative