OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two bills moving through the Washington state legislature could provide support for workers on strike. Some labor experts say more discussions about these types of supports are surfacing as workers in more industries move to unionize.
Senate Bill 5632 would provide an avenue for open enrollment for workers who lose their health care coverage during a work stoppage, while House Bill 1893 would extend unemployment insurance benefits for workers during a period of time while striking. Each bill has made it through one body of the legislature and is working through the other.
Elizabeth Ford, an assistant professor at Seattle University who teaches the Workers' Rights Clinic, says proposals have surfaced in recent years as workers in more industries have moved to organize.
"As we see more organizing in spaces we haven't seen it before, like Amazon and Starbucks and as we've seen more workers willing to take that risk, go out on strike, and have a sort of successful result from that strike, I think there's a growing recognition that this is going to be part of the equation," Ford said. "And so in Washington at least, the legislature's saying- well, should we add to the protections so people don't lose their house- don't lose their healthcare- if they make the choice, which is a legally protected choice, to go out on strike?"
Ford says one thing to keep an eye on is the mechanics of the bill and discussions over the potential costs incurred as a result of the changes to unemployment coverage.
A few states have introduced related measures, though they are not provided in a widespread way nationally. California labor leaders pushed for a similar measure regarding unemployment, but Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it.