Last evening, a bill to allow for unemployment benefits for locked out and striking workers cleared it’s first hurdle. With bipartisan support, HB 1481 passed the House by a vote of 106 to 97.
How Did Your House Member Vote? Click HERE to see the Roll Call.
This good work never gets done without you. Thank you!
HB 1481 would allow workers who are unemployed due to a labor dispute to be eligible for unemployment compensation (UC) benefits. This means locked out workers would be immediately eligible for UC benefits, and striking workers would be eligible after a 30-day waiting period allowing them to sustain the work stoppage.
Prior to the vote, our members spoke out in favor of this bill at a press conference and showered House members with emails and calls of support.
This is one more testament as to why telling our stories to ensure our elected leaders fully understand the weight of their decisions makes the difference. “This is why I’m here today – for fairness. Workers pay into the system to have a safety net when their paychecks stop coming. It was never intended to be used as a weapon by unethical employers to force down wages and benefits for our workers. So, I implore you to support working families and this bill.” – Keith Beavers, Unit President, USW Local 1138, ATI.
The decision to strike is a serious undertaking that is not made lightly by union members. If the right to strike is a legal guarantee, then there should be economic systems of support in place to bolster this right. We need HB 1481 to level the playing field at the bargaining table.
The bill will next head to the Senate, so please stay tuned to Rapid Response to see how you can help us amend Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation Law through HB 1481.