SALEM, Ore. – Today, Senate and House Democrats approved a scaled-back but still deeply flawed version of Senate Bill 916, sending it to Governor Tina Kotek, who has already announced she will sign it into law. The bill, an unmistakable political gift to organized labor, will allow striking private and public sector workers to collect unemployment benefits, even when walking off taxpayer-funded jobs.
Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles), who served on the conference committee and led opposition to the bill, condemned the move as a reckless and politically motivated decision that will harm not just taxpayers, but students.
“This is a terrible idea,” said Bonham. “Democrats just made it easier to strike against schools and public services—and stuck taxpayers with the bill. But the people who will suffer most are the kids, the ones without a lobbyist or a vote, whose school days will be lost so unions can cash in.”
Despite bipartisan warnings from school districts, local governments, The Oregonian, and Willamette Week, Democrats ignored concerns and pushed the bill forward. SB 916 makes Oregon the first state in the nation to provide unemployment benefits to striking public employees. This is something even labor-friendly states like New York and Washington have declined to do.
Republicans proposed aligning Oregon’s policy with Washington’s more cautious approach, which includes stronger guardrails and a shorter benefits window. Democrats rejected those compromises in favor of maximizing payouts to their political allies.
“The barrier to strike has now been lowered. It’s going to be harmful to our students. It’s going to be harmful to the state,” Bonham added. “But union priorities took precedence over student needs.”
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