(AI generated image of striking workers)
Today’s Bill of Concern is HB 1893 Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking or lockout workers.
This bill has currently passed the house and is on the SENATE floor calendar. Probably coming to the floor of the senate for a vote later today.
You can visit the Bill info page (click on the image below), and send a comment to your senator…
OPPOSE 1893! NO UNEMPLOYMENT FOR STRIKING WORKERS!
This bill will break the unemployment system!
According to an email from Future 42, Which references the sister bill, but is otherwise accurate:
Legislators are considering and may potentially vote on a bill that would critically undermine how unemployment insurance works. SB 5777 would extend unemployment benefits – and Washington has some of the most generous in the nation – to workers willfully walking off the job in order to strike.
Here are the reasons why this bill needs to be stopped:
SB 5777 completely goes against the purpose of the unemployment insurance system, which is to provide a safety net for unexpected loss of employment – not a handout for workers voluntarily choosing to go on strike.
This bill would burden businesses and workers across the state with increased costs, even for those who do not employ striking workers, which will likely impact salaries and wages.
Most unions already maintain strike funds to help with essential costs during a strike.
Similar legislation in California was seen as too radical by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who of all people, vetoed it.
Subsidizing strikes will inevitably lead to more frequent and prolonged work stoppages across the state.
This bill has already passed the state House. Please take a moment to contact your state senator and voice your opposition to SB 5777.
Call to Action!
OR, you can email the senators! Copy paste into the BCC line of your email.
andy.billig@leg.wa.gov; matt.boehnke@leg.wa.gov; john.braun@leg.wa.gov; annette.cleveland@leg.wa.gov; steve.conway@leg.wa.gov; manka.dhingra@leg.wa.gov; perry.dozier@leg.wa.gov; phil.fortunato@leg.wa.gov; noel.frame@leg.wa.gov; chris.gildon@leg.wa.gov; drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov; bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov; brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov; jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov; claudia.kauffman@leg.wa.gov; karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov; curtis.king@leg.wa.gov; patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov; marko.liias@leg.wa.gov; liz.lovelett@leg.wa.gov; john.lovick@leg.wa.gov; drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov; jim.mccune@leg.wa.gov; mark.mullet@leg.wa.gov; ron.muzzall@leg.wa.gov; joe.nguyen@leg.wa.gov; twina.nobles@leg.wa.gov; mike.padden@leg.wa.gov; jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov; emily.randall@leg.wa.gov; ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov; june.robinson@leg.wa.gov; rebecca.saldana@leg.wa.gov; jesse.salomon@leg.wa.gov; mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov; sharon.shewmake@leg.wa.gov; shelly.short@leg.wa.gov; derek.stanford@leg.wa.gov; nikki.torres@leg.wa.gov; yasmin.trudeau@leg.wa.gov; javier.valdez@leg.wa.gov; kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov; keith.wagoner@leg.wa.gov; judy.warnick@leg.wa.gov; lisa.wellman@leg.wa.gov; claire.wilson@leg.wa.gov; jeff.wilson@leg.wa.gov; lynda.wilson@leg.wa.gov; ltgov@ltgov.wa.gov; steve.hobbs@sos.wa.gov; timdeyman@gmail.com;
Together, we can make a difference. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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