Sen. Bonham: War on business (SB 916)

SB 916: Oregon majority continues their war on businesses 
By Oregon State Senator Daniel Bonham,

The supermajority wasted no time introducing Senate Bill 916 which could increase business payments to the state by $5.3 million.

Specifically, the bill would force the state, funded by Oregon’s businesses, to pay out unemployment benefits during a strike. There are many issues and unintended consequences from this legislation but to name a few:

1. This policy will encourage longer strike times – putting the economy and residents in the crosshairs – we all saw the unintended consequences of COVID-19 unemployment misuse 
2. Employers will be paying for voluntary leave – currently, unemployment pay is for “involuntary” work leave, this forces employers to pay 100% of strikers voluntary work leave – a misuse of the current fund 
3. Will affect government services – this policy also affects government agencies, costing taxpayers millions and putting services such as education, social work, healthcare and more into jeopardy
4. This strains an already expensive, delicate system – Oregon businesses already pay some of the highest unemployment insurance in the country — not only will this further strain our business community, but it will also strain the unemployment fund for political purposes – taking it from the people who really need it 
5. This bill will make things more expensive and less accessible to Oregonians – experts state this will result in price increases and potential business closures for stores, pharmacies, gas stations, delivery services, grocery stores and more – affecting our most vulnerable community members