David Cooper, Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network at the Economic Policy Institute, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle worker protections across federal agencies, the elimination of minimum wage standards for domestic workers and federal contractors and the need for states to establish their own enforcement mechanisms.
According to Cooper, the Trump administration is executing a coordinated attack on worker protections that extends far beyond federal employees to affect workers in every industry. Cooper detailed how the administration is systematically gutting enforcement agencies — firing National Labor Relations Board staff and replacing them with corporate lawyers, dismantling the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, slashing funding at the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour division.
Cooper said the enforcement crisis has reached critical levels because the federal government has abandoned its watchdog role while many states lack their own protection mechanisms. Florida, he said, is an example of a state that eliminated its Department of Labor over a decade ago, leaving workers with no recourse when employers steal their wages. Despite massive workforce growth, the federal Wage and Hour division operates with the same number of investigators it had 40 years ago, and now faces further cuts under Trump. Cooper emphasized that workers in states without robust enforcement are essentially defenseless against exploitation, with nowhere to turn when their rights are violated.
Finally, Cooper discussed the need for states to establish their own worker protections by raising minimum wages above the federal floor of $7.25. He shared examples of ways states have begun to resolve these wage issues. The Economic Policy Institute's "Holding the Line" series provides detailed guidance for state lawmakers on minimum wage policy, overtime standards, child labor protections, and wage payment policies. While 30 states have set minimum wages above the federal floor and dozens of cities have gone higher, Cooper stressed that aggressive state action is essential because the federal government has lost the ability to enforce these regulations and leaves states as the only line of defense against exploitation.
Listen to the full episode to hear Cooper explain how states can build enforcement systems that protect workers when the federal government is unable to fulfill its obligations.
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