Georgia Voters Want the State’s Department of Labor to Take Stronger Action to Protect Workers
By Sabrina Jacobs
In recent years, the Georgia Department of Labor has faced criticism for not effectively providing assistance to unemployed workers. For example, during the pandemic, news reports and a state audit found that Georgians seeking unemployment benefits faced unanswered phone lines, long delays, and higher denial rates for Black applicants. A new poll of 677 likely voters in Georgia by Data for Progress examined voter experiences with unemployment benefits, and voter attitudes toward several of the programs under the Department of Labor’s authority, as well as other worker protection policies. The poll finds that the majority of voters support reforms to Georgia’s unemployment benefits program, such as making permanent the pandemic-related restoration of unemployment benefits to a maximum of 26 weeks and increasing the maximum unemployment benefit.
In addition, bipartisan majorities of voters overwhelmingly support further reforms to help the Georgia Department of Labor support jobless residents, such as making sure benefits decisions are not racially discriminatory and increasing staffing at unemployment offices to speed up access to benefits. We also find overwhelming support for increased worker protections (including stronger labor and housing protections for farmworkers, given the recent investigation of working conditions on Georgia farms), bans on discrimination against LGTBQ+ workers, and broader protections such as increasing the minimum wage.
Voters’ Personal Experience and Support for Unemployment Insurance Policies
We first looked at voters' experience with applying for unemployment insurance benefits in Georgia. Of the voters who were unemployed at some point or had a household member unemployed during the pandemic, nearly half (48 percent) did not apply for unemployment insurance benefits, while 45 percent report that they did apply.
Next, we examined voter support for specific unemployment insurance programs adopted during the pandemic. In 2012, Georgia lawmakers cut the length of unemployment benefits from the national standard of 26 weeks down to a sliding scale of 12-20 weeks. However, the Department of Labor temporarily restored the 26-week maximum during the coronavirus crisis. We find that a majority of Georgia voters support making permanent the restoration of the 26-week maximum for receiving unemployment benefits by a +34-point margin, including Democrats by a +65-point margin, Independents by a +41-point margin, and Republicans by a +3-point margin.
The maximum unemployment insurance benefit in Georgia is $365 a week. Raising the current maximum would help unemployed Georgians pay bills, buy food, and take care of their families. We find Georgia voters support raising the maximum above $365 a week by a +37-point margin. This includes overwhelming support from Democrats at 81 percent. We also find this proposal has bipartisan support, with a +43-point margin among Independents, and a +9-point margin among Republicans.
In response to the pandemic, lawmakers also expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits to include more low-income, self-employed, part-time, and gig workers. If that expansion were to become permanent, it would greatly increase the number of Georgians who receive unemployment assistance. A majority of voters across party lines agree that the expanded unemployment benefits should become permanent by a +38-point margin, including Democrats by a +69-point margin, Independents by a +44-point margin, and Republicans by a +8-point margin.
Support for Improved Access to Unemployment Benefits and Stronger Worker Protections
Beyond expanding eligibility for unemployment programs and increasing the maximum insurance benefit, a majority of Georgia voters are enthusiastically in favor of further reforms by the Department of Labor. This includes 85 percent who support ensuring that the process for approving or rejecting unemployment claims is not racially discriminatory, and 82 percent who support increasing staffing at unemployment offices to process applications faster. We also find strong bipartisan support (79 percent) from voters for enforcing a new law passed by Georgia legislators to hold accountable companies that illegally misclassify their employees as independent contractors. Voters also support improving access to unemployment benefits for Georgians who do not speak English by a +27-point margin. Finally, 87 percent of voters support establishing new programs to help jobless Georgians, such as military veterans and persons with criminal records, find new jobs.
We also find overwhelming support for improved working conditions for farmworkers in Georgia. When told about the current investigation into human trafficking of farmworkers in Georgia, 81 percent of voters support stronger enforcement of labor and housing protections for farmworkers by the Department of Labor. This includes strong bipartisan support: 82 percent of Democrats, 80 percent of Independents, and 82 percent of Republicans.
Lastly, we find that Georgia voters strongly support broader reforms that would create better working conditions, including guaranteeing paid leave for workers who need to take time off when they or a family member is sick by a +71-point margin, raising the minimum wage to $15 over several years by a +47-point margin, and making sure that it’s illegal for employers to refuse to hire or to fire workers because they are LGBTQ+ by a +49-point margin.
The Georgia Department of Labor can take a range of vital steps to more effectively protect the state’s workers. Our polling shows that voters strongly support action by the agency and by the legislature to strengthen the state’s unemployment insurance program, to hold accountable employers that illegally misclassify their workers, to better protect farmworkers, and to improve wages, benefits and anti-discrimination protections in the state.
Sabrina Jacobs is a digital fellow at Data for Progress.