Business organizations urge Lamont to veto ‘striking workers’ bill

CT-N Gov. Ned Lamont speaks during a media briefing Thursday in his office at the Capitol.

Write a Comment

A group of 20 state business organizations on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont urging him to veto a bill that allows striking workers to collect unemployment benefits.

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the state’s largest business organization, joined 14 chambers of commerce and six other business groups in signing the letter, which addresses Senate Bill 8.

The bill was approved in the Senate by a 24-11 vote and passed the House by an 87-59 vote with five legislators not voting or absent.

If signed by Lamont, the bill would become Public Act. No. 25-64, but the governor has already expressed his disapproval and has said several times that he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

A spokesperson for Lamont could not confirm Friday that he has seen the letter, but said that he is “aware of where CBIA stands on the issue” and reiterated that he has said he will veto the bill.

The legislation makes striking workers eligible for unemployment benefits
after they have been on strike for 14 consecutive days for labor disputes that start on or after Dec. 14, 2026.

New York and New Jersey are the only other states currently offering jobless benefits to strikers, each also after two weeks out of work. Washington state recently adopted a similar law that takes effect next year.

Proponents of the bill say it is needed to level the playing field with employers at the bargaining table.

The letter, signed by Chris DePentima, CBIA’s president & CEO, disagrees, stating that the bill “sends a terrible message” to employers, who are the “sole funders of the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund.”

The bill “undermines Connecticut’s economic competitiveness by unfairly tipping the balance between employee and employer,” the letter states.

The two-page letter also notes that long-standing state and federal laws already provide the proper balance between the unemployment system’s policy goals and collective bargaining rights, and that under federal law, individuals must be able to work, be available to work and be actively seeking work to be eligible for unemployment benefits.

“While workers have the right to organize, bargain collectively, and strike, those rights should not be subsidized by employers — nor by taxpayers,” the letter states.

The coalition adds that paying unemployment compensation to striking workers would increase the risk that the state’s unemployment insurance fund could become insolvent, “leading to a dramatic increase in federal unemployment taxes for employers of all sizes.”

In addition to CBIA, the letter is signed by the following business organizations:

Amity Chamber of Commerce
Bridgeport Regional Business Council
Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce
Cheshire Chamber of Commerce
Connecticut Lodging Association
Connecticut River Valley Chamber of Commerce
Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance
Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce
Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce
National Federation of Independent Businesses
ManufactureCT
Manufacturing Education and Training Alliance
Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce
Shoreline Chamber of Commerce
Smaller Manufacturers Association
Southbury Chamber of Commerce
Southington Regional Chamber
Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce
Watertown/Oakville Chamber of Commerce

Last year, Lamont vetoed similar legislation that created a $3 million, taxpayer-funded “Connecticut families and workers account” that was intended to support strikers.

In remarks made Thursday during a media briefing after the end of the 2025 legislative session, Lamont reiterated his intent to veto the bill.

“I haven't supported that, and I never have,” he said, adding, “when it comes to job security and growing jobs in the state — not just holding on to jobs, but growing jobs in the state — I think it's a vote that's important for me to veto.”