The Minnesota House Workforce Development Finance and Policy Committee amended and advanced House File 3446 on Mar. 13, which proposes allowing workers to claim unemployment insurance benefits at the beginning of a strike. The bill now heads to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
Currently, New York and New Jersey allow certain striking workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits.
Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.
The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefit.
For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.
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