OLYMPIA, Wash.- A policy which would grant up to four weeks of unemployment insurance to individuals who are out of work because they are striking has passed the State House and is currently awaiting reading by the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 1893 would allow strikers to apply for unemployment benefits in a limited set of circumstances.
They would not be allowed to immediately collect unemployment, and would have to wait a week before receiving any state aid. The benefits would extend for a maximum of four weeks, and the striker would be required to pay the state back if their employer retroactively paid them for the hours they would have worked during the strike.
The bill passed the State House without any Republican support. Democratic Representatives Mike Chapman, Debra Entenman, Larry Springer, My-Linh Thai and Amy Walen also voted against HB 1893.
The Washington State Labor Council, which represents hundreds of labor unions across the Evergreen State, is supportive of the policy. It has drawn criticism from a broad range of conservative organizations and policymakers.
If passed by the Senate, it could potentially hit the governor’s desk within the 2024 legislative session. In order to do so, it would have to first make it to a floor vote for final passage, which has yet to be scheduled.
