What happened?

On June 24, 2025, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 916 into law, making Oregon the latest state to allow striking workers to collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during labor disputes.

Overview:

Senate Bill 916 (SB 916) creates a new legal framework that expands UI eligibility to workers involved in strikes and lockouts, including those in both the public and private sectors. This marks a significant shift from Oregon’s previous law, which only allowed UI benefits during employer-initiated lockouts.

Highlights of Provisions

• Eligibility: Workers on strike or locked out are eligible for UI benefits if they meet standard requirements.

• Waiting Period: Striking workers must wait two weeks (including the standard unpaid waiting week) before receiving benefits.

• Benefit Cap: Benefits are limited to a maximum of 10 weeks, depending on the state’s UI tax schedule.

• Repayment Requirement: Workers must repay benefits if they later receive back pay for the same period.

• School Employees: School districts must deduct UI benefits from future wages if those benefits are charged to the district during a labor dispute.

Source References

• Oregon SB 916 – Relating to unemployment insurance benefits for employees unemployed due to a labor dispute

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