Heard: bill to allow unemployment benefits for striking or locked-out workers draws broad testimony

The Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on March 18 heard substitute Senate Bill 50-41, which would modify Washington's unemployment insurance (UI) rules to allow certain striking workers to receive benefits and to remove the disqualification that currently bars benefits for locked-out workers; the bill includes a sunset provision ending the change on Dec. 31, 2035.

Committee staff described the bill as altering two disqualifications in current law. For strikes, the bill would permit striking workers to access benefits after the earlier of the second Sunday following the strike's start (if the strike is not later found to be unlawful) or the strike's termination, subject to a one-week waiting period and a 12-week cap on benefits tied to a strike. The Employment Security Department would recover overpayments if retroactive wages are later paid or a final judgment finds the strike unlawful. For lockouts, the bill would remove the disqualification and charge benefits to base-year employers; both provisions would expire on Dec. 31, 2035,…