Given the lack of federal policy in the US for labor protections like guaranteed paid sick leave and a stagnant federal minimum wage, many states have been addressing these issues through state-level legislation. However, these worker protections have not been strengthened in many Southeastern states. A recent study has indicated that low wage workers in the South are significantly worse off with regards to their rights to organize and minimum wages compared to workers in other regions of the country.
See "New study shows wages and worker protections are worse for workers in the South compared to other regions in the US", Aimee Picchi, CBS News, September 1, 2022