PRIA Logo™
S2731119th CongressWALLET

Empowering Striking Workers Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

Introduced

Summary

Extends unemployment insurance to workers who cannot work because of labor disputes. It would treat individuals employed but unable to work because of a strike, lock-out, or related labor dispute as unemployed for unemployment compensation and set eligibility to begin on the earliest of these dates: 14 days after a strike, the date a lock-out begins, the date an employer hires permanent replacement workers, or the date the strike or lock-out ends and the individual becomes unemployed.

Show full summary
  • Workers: Striking employees and people indirectly prevented from working would be eligible for unemployment compensation under the bill's timing rules.
  • Scope: The definition covers disputes about terms, tenure, conditions of employment and disputes over association or representation, even if the parties are not in a direct employer-employee relationship.
  • Unemployment programs: Claimants described by the bill would be excluded from the usual exemption to the work-availability requirement and so would be subject to work-availability or job-search checks tied to UI eligibility.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

Unemployment pay for striking workers

If enacted, you would be treated as unemployed if you are employed but cannot work because of a labor dispute. You could get unemployment pay starting on the earliest of: 14 days after a strike begins; the date a lock-out begins; the date the employer hires permanent replacement workers; or the date the strike or lockout ends and you become unemployed. This would apply even if you are indirectly affected or if disputants are not in a direct employer–employee relationship.

Striking workers face work test

If enacted, people who cannot work because of a labor dispute as defined in the bill would no longer be exempt from the Social Security Act's work-availability test. That means these claimants would have to meet work-availability rules to get or keep unemployment benefits. This change would take effect upon enactment and applies to claimants covered by the bill's labor-dispute definition.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 9/18/2025

  • Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]

    AZ • D

    Sponsored 10/3/2025

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 1/27/2026

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 2/9/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation