Constitution State News

Governor Lamont has vetoed legislation concerning state payments for striking workers. The act, known as Public Act 24-131, also referred to as House Bill 5431, aimed to establish a fund comprised of state dollars to pay private sector employees who leave work to strike.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) had expressed its stance against the legislation, advocating for a veto. They argued that the state government should not involve itself in labor disputes. According to the NFIB, "small business owners and other state taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for employees who choose to go out of work on strike."

The proposed legislation was seen as a significant change in policy. Critics argued that it contradicted a fundamental element of the unemployment system—the requirement of availability and willingness to work to receive benefits. "Paying employees who choose to leave work and go on strike is an unprecedented policy change," they said. Such payments, according to them, would undermine unemployment insurance's purpose and unfairly influence labor relations, which are mainly regulated by existing federal laws.