WA bill aims to extend unemployment benefits to workers on strike

[Omaha Steve]

The Senate greenlit the legislation, which would provide as much as $800 per week for up to four weeks, but opponents warn of burdens on employers.

by Emma Schwichtenberg / March 18, 2025


Picketers block University Way (The Ave) at Northeast 42nd Street in the U District as striking Starbucks employees walked off the job and closed their store in a one-day strike Tues., March 11, 2025. (M. Scott Brauer/Cascade PBS)

Sandee Flores had never been on strike before. But in October 2024, she and her co-workers at the DoubleTree Seattle Airport walked off the job, demanding better wages. Her father had been a union member too, and now she was the one holding the picket line.

The strike lasted a week — short enough that Flores didn’t face serious financial hardship. But she saw the strain it put on many of her co-workers. Even a few days without pay meant tough choices: stretching every dollar, leaning on family, or turning to strike funds.

“For my co-workers, even that week-long strike was significant,” Flores said. “Most of us live paycheck to paycheck.”

The Washington State Senate has passed Senate Bill 5041, which aims to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to workers during a labor strike. If the bill passes the House and is signed by the Governor, Washington would become the third state — after New York and New Jersey — to grant this benefit. Striking workers who have logged at least 680 hours in the past year would become eligible for UI benefits starting the second Sunday after their legal strike begins, following a required one-week waiting period.

FULL story at link above.

[MichMan]

2. Is strike pay taken into account when determining unemplyment benefits

If not, depending on the amount, strikers could be made whole.