The state of Washington was forced to overhaul a controversial new law allowing striking workers to collect unemployment benefits following a warning from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The law, which took effect in January this year, waived the state’s rigorous work search requirements for striking workers, allowing them to collect unemployment.
DOL warned Washington officials earlier this month the law “was out of conformity with federal law and must be immediately remedied,” after the state ignored previous policy clarifications.
DOL said the state risked losing “federal funding for administration of the unemployment insurance program and employers in Washington state may lose their tax credits under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act.”
Following the warning, Washington’s Employment Security Department issued an emergency rule “to clarify that work search activities are required for claimants who are receiving unemployment insurance benefits due to a strike.”
Prior to the emergency rule taking effect Aug. 21, Washington had paid unemployment benefits to 151 striking workers, totaling 741 weeks of pay and $565,714.
Washington officials originally ignored a policy memo DOL released in January this year following enactment of the Washington law and similar legislation in Oregon.
That memo emphasized that federal law sets requirements for state unemployment insurance programs, including broad coverage and benefit provisions, experience ratings, and...
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