Connecticut Senate approves bill to allow striking workers to collect unemployment after 14 days

Hartford — The Connecticut State Senate on Wednesday passed an amendment to Senate Bill 8 that makes workers engaged in a ‘‘labor dispute’’ eligible for unemployment benefits after 14 consecutive days on strike for disputes beginning on or after Dec. 14, 2026. The vote followed hours of floor debate and a roll‑call tally of 24 yeas to 11 nays.

Supporters said the measure would prevent striking families from falling into financial crisis. ‘‘When workers are out of work… having the benefit of unemployment insurance will really help workers put food on the table,’’ Senator Kushner said in support of the amendment, which became the text of the bill.

Opponents described the proposal as broadly written and warned it could be open to abuse and threaten the solvency of the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. ‘‘This bill takes those three things and throws them right out the window,’’ Senator Sampson said, arguing…