If you have ever tried to figure out where to report a workplace issue, you know how confusing it can be. One agency handles safety. Another handles discrimination. Another handles wages. The state manages unemployment. Your city hosts job fairs.

And none of them explains the system clearly.

The truth is that Georgia’s workplace rules originate from several different levels of government — federal, state, and local. Knowing who controls what helps you solve problems faster and hold the right leaders accountable. It also highlights why Georgia needs a more coordinated and modern workforce system.

Federal Baselines and Rights

Many of the floor protections that apply across all states are set in Washington DC:

• Job discrimination (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission): The EEOC handles federal discrimination charges (including those for race, sex, disability, age, etc.).

• Organizing and collective action (National Labor Relations Board): The NLRB enforces the right of most private-sector employees to organize and engage in concerted activity to improve their conditions.

• Wages and overtime (U.S. Department of Labor Wage & Hour Division): Federal law sets the national minimum wage and overtime rules. Georgia’s state law lists $5.15/hour as the minimum wage, but most employers must follow the federal minimum of $7.25/hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

• Workplace safety (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): Georgia does not operate its own OSHA program; therefore, federal OSHA handles safety enforcement for most private-sector workplaces in the state. By law, federal OSHA generally does not cover state or local government employees in states without a “state-plan” OSHA program. That means public-sector workers in Georgia typically rely on their agency’s safety policies, rather than the state process OSHA, for enforcement.

State Administration, Access, and Authority

Georgia’s state government oversees the implementation of many of these protections on a day-to-day basis.

• Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL): The GDOL administers unemployment insurance, gathers labor market data, enforces child labor laws, and refers workers to training programs. The elected Labor Commissioner leads GDOL and is responsible for upholding the laws that the department oversees.

• Workforce training: The Technical College System of Georgia's Office of Workforce Development administers federally funded Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs under the WorkSource Georgia banner.

• Workers’ compensation: The State Board of Workers’ Compensation governs benefits, medical coverage, and dispute processes for workers who are injured on the job.

• Right-to-work & State Preemption.
  Georgia law prohibits requiring union membership as a condition of employment and prevents local governments from establishing higher local wage standards or paid leave requirements for private employers unless state law permits it.

Local Governments

Local governments cannot set most workplace rules, but they support workers and employers through:

• WIOA intake and training referrals
• Job fairs and hiring events
• Resume and digital skills workshops
• Small business licensing and permitting
• Partnerships with libraries, schools, chambers, and nonprofits

They help people access services but federal and state agencies set the rules.

Why the Current System Isn’t Working

Georgia’s workforce system is fragmented. Unemployment is handled in one place, while training and career services are handled in another, and local partners are left to fill the gaps. In a state with 159 counties, that means access is uneven, and too many Georgians struggle to get the help they need.

You can see it in the decline of basic infrastructure. In 2008, the Georgia Department of Labor operated 53 career centers across the state. Today, only 34 remain, leaving many communities without a reliable in-person access point. And Georgia’s labor force participation rate has stalled at around 60 percent, not because people don’t want to work, but because too many Georgians face barriers such as childcare, transportation, and limited access to training. When workforce services are scattered across agencies with no clear front door, people fall through the cracks instead of being guided back into the workforce.

These are not signs of a strong system. They are signs of one that has been allowed to shrink and drift apart.

Georgia doesn’t need fewer workforce partners; it needs stronger coordination among them. The Department of Labor should serve as the statewide hub that helps people understand their options and move toward work more quickly, while WorkSource Georgia, TCSG, and local workforce boards continue to deliver the training and services they specialize in.

This isn’t about pointing fingers, it’s about building a modern, coordinated system that finally meets the needs of real people.

How to Use This Info as a Georgia Voter

Match the problem to the right agency:
• Wage theft → Wage & Hour Division
• Safety concerns → OSHA
• Discrimination → EEOC
• Unemployment → GDOL
• Training → WorkSource Georgia

Watch state preemption:
If your city wants stronger worker protections but cannot pass them, it is because state law blocks them.

Follow the training dollars:
WorkSource Georgia boards decide how federal WIOA funds are spent. Ask which programs actually lead to real jobs in your region.

Know your Commissioner:
The Labor Commissioner determines how unemployment works, how data is collected and disseminated, and how responsive the state’s workforce system is.

Why This Work Matters And Why I’m Running

I’ve lived and worked in Georgia long enough to understand how much it matters when a system works and how quickly things fall apart when it doesn’t. I’ve been a worker, a veteran, a teacher, and a small-business owner. I’ve experienced the frustration of seeking help and finding only confusion. And I’ve spent years developing statewide programs that demonstrate what happens when people receive clear information, genuine support, and a clear path forward.

That’s why I’m running. Georgia deserves a Department of Labor that meets people where they are and helps them move toward their goals. A department that supports workers and employers, connects communities, and brings dignity back to the process.

My vision is simple: A Department of Labor that helps Georgians transition from unemployment to opportunity through one clear, connected, and easy-to-navigate system.

If you believe Georgia deserves a workforce system that works for everyone, I’m asking you to join me.

Donate to Porcher for Georgia

Your investment of $100, $250, or $1,000 helps us reach more Georgians and build a modern, coordinated workforce system that truly serves this state.

Donate today at VotePorcher4GA.com.