AMERICANS are set to get weekly payments of $836 under a new plan to support striking workers.
The bill that would grant unemployment checks for up to 10 weeks had previously seen a surprising defeat, but is now moving ahead again.
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Two days after the bill saw a defeat in the state Senate, it is alive and kicking in the Oregon Legislature.
The bill offers workers on strikes up to 10 weeks of benefits, a number which was initially much higher.
Under the original Senate Bill 916 (SB 916), workers were allowed up to 26 weeks of unemployment pay, also at $836.
In its initial 26 week form, SB 916 received blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike.
The main piece of criticism at the time was that 26 weeks was not “sustainable”.
State Sen. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, who had originally sponsored the bill, ended up voting it down.
He said: “My vote today is about getting this policy right — even if it’s not politically convenient.
“I support extending these UI protections for striking workers, but only if it is fair, defensible, and sustainable long-term.”
Meanwhile, union reps had argued that the 26 week cap was fair, as it was becoming too easy for companies to wait out those on strike.
This forces workers to accept bad contracts because they need a paycheck.
Local businesses and school districts take the counter position, that a 26 week benefit cap would actually lead to more strikes.
Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland, a chief sponsor of the bill, said: “We are primed more than any other state in the nation to pass a model version of this legislation.
“We are called on to be leaders and, colleagues, I believe this is leading.”
BILL PASSES
Apart from the reduction from 26 weeks to 10 weeks, little else has changed on SB 916.
Now there are still those that oppose the bill in its new form.
Opponents believe it doesn’t account for longer strikes that Oregon may see.
There is also the worry of cost, as some still believe 10 weeks is far too generous.
Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, explained: “This is bad policy.
“It’s going to be harmful to our students. It’s going to be harmful to the state. We should set this aside.”
State analysts do not expect it to have less impact on the state’s $6.4 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
This worry is only spurring the bill‘s detractors forward.
If SB 916 is passed, it would make Oregon the first state to grant unemployment pay to striking workers in the public and private sectors.
The three states that have similar legislation, New York, New Jersey and Washington, do not give public workers the right to strike.
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