Turns out making strikers eligible for unemployment benefits is a good policy. The Economic Policy Institute has released Unemployment insurance for striking workers : a low cost policy that’s good for workers and state economies…
Summary: Lawmakers across the country are increasingly recognizing that making striking workers eligible for unemployment insurance (UI) is good for workers and good economics.
Key findings
- Striking workers in most states are disqualified from receivingUI, which opens the door for employers to undermine union negotiations by engaging in bad faith tactics.
- Only two states —New Jersey and New York—currently extend UI to striking workers. Lawmakers in 13 additionalstates have previously introduced or are actively considering such policies.
- EPI estimates that the cost of extending employment insurance to strikers would represent between 0.04% to 0.96% of a given state’s total UI expenditures—an almost negligible .
- These policies don’t only impact striking workers; they also help stabilize the economy by keeping dollars flowing to communities where a strike is taking place.
- While opponents have raised concerns that such policies will encourage more strikes, providing UI protections to striking workers may actuallylead to fewer strikes.
