SALEM, Oregon — Lawmakers in Salem are divided on a bill that would allow striking workers, including teachers, to collect unemployment benefits.
Oregon’s seen major labor strikes recently, from doctors and nurses at Providence’s hospitals to Fred Meyer employees to teachers from Greater Albany School District and Portland Public Schools, the latter for nearly full four weeks. During that strike, the district said it is not required to pay teachers for time spent on the picket line and did not do so.
Senate Bill 916 A would allow teachers to collect unemployment for up to 26 weeks, starting two weeks into a strike. The bill was voted out of the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards Wednesday, despite superintendents of eight large school districts sending a letter to House members opposing the bill…