The language from Senate Bill 916 states:

Provides that an individual otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits is not disqualified for any week that the individual’s unemployment is due to a labor dispute in active progress at the individual’s place of employment. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

The state of Oregon has again decided to poison the citizens’ ability to run a business in Oregon. Companies will be at a severe disadvantage if SB 916 becomes law. Since when does a government set itself against business and business owners? With the state of Oregon paying unemployment benefits, why would any labor negotiation be fair? The business owners would lose money while the state pays the union and its workers not to settle. Oregon is already a poor place to run a business—why would anyone invest their capital and hard work into Oregon? Many small and medium companies in Oregon have shut down because of regulations, taxes, and a hostile environment throughout the states. SB 916 should be named the “Hasta La Vista Baby “ bill because that is what the business owners will be saying if SB 916 passes.

This bill was created at the request of the AFL-CIO by Democrats.

When one political party attempts to use its power and money to tip the scales of labor negotiations in favor of one side of a labor dispute, it begs the question: How much are these state senators getting from the union? Punishing business owners is an ideal way to force businesses into packing up and leaving the state of Oregon. This bill is a good example of supermajority overreach that will have long-lasting consequences. All this bill will do is add names to a long list of failed Oregon businesses.

Both the workers and the business owners need to negotiate from an equitable position. Oregon needs to kill this bill before it kills Oregon’s economy.

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