SB 440 — AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT FOR STRIKING WORKERS.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

440367 February Session, 2026 LCOSenate Bill No.

2706440 ReferredSenate, toApril 2, 2026 The Committee on LABORLabor ANDand PUBLICPublic EMPLOYEESEmployees Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(LAB)KUSHNER ANof ACTthe CONCERNING24th UNEMPLOYMENTDist., FORChairperson STRIKINGof WORKERS.the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT FOR STRIKING WORKERS.

(B) (i) the individual is not participating in or financing or directly interested in the labor dispute that caused the unemployment, and [(B)] (ii) the individual does not belong to a trade, class or organizationSB440 of/ workers,File members of which, immediately before the LCO 2706 1 of 2 Raised Bill No.

440367 commencement1 ofSB440 theFile laborNo. dispute, were employed at the premises at which the labor dispute occurred, and are participating in or financing or directly interested in the dispute;

367 organization of workers, members of which, immediately before the commencement of the labor dispute, were employed at the premises at which the labor dispute occurred, and are participating in or financing or directly interested in the dispute;

Section 1 October 1, 2026 31-236(a)(3) LAB Joint Favorable LCOSB440 2706/ 2File ofNo. 2

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367 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Labor Dept.

UITF - Potential See Below See Below Revenue Gain Labor Dept.

UITF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Labor Dept.

GF - Cost 205,000 210,000 Note:

UITF=Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund;

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which makes striking workers eligible for unemployment benefits after they have been on strike for 14 consecutive days, results in a potential cost and potential revenue gain to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, starting in FY 27.

In addition, the bill results in a one-time cost of $415,000 to the General Fund ($205,000 in FY 27 and $210,000 in FY 28).

To the extent any striking workers become eligible for unemployment benefits as a result of the bill, this would result in a cost to the trust fund.

Subsequent increases in experience ratings by employers would result in increased tax revenue to the trust fund on a lagged basis.

The amounts are dependent on striking workers' benefits and affected employers' experience ratings.

Additionally, the bill would require the Labor Department to make technology changes to ReEmployCT, the unemployment insurance administration system, which results in a cost of $205,000 in FY 27 and $210,000 in FY 28 ($415,000 in total).

SB440 / File No.

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367 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above for the trust fund would continue into the future subject to the number of workers and employers affected.

There are no fiscal impacts to the General Fund beyond FY 28.

SB440 / File No.

367 4 SB440 File No.

367 OLR Bill Analysis SB 440 AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT FOR STRIKING WORKERS.

SUMMARY Current law generally disqualifies unemployment benefit claimants during any week in which their unemployment resulted from a labor dispute.

For labor disputes that start on or after December 14, 2027, this bill lifts this disqualification once the dispute has lasted for 14 continuous days.

Existing law similarly allows claimants to qualify for benefits during a labor dispute, with no waiting period, if the (1) unemployment is caused by a lockout (for example, the employer closed the employment premises) or (2) claimant is not participating in the dispute and does not belong to a trade, class, or organization of workers participating in, financing, or directly interested in the dispute (for example, non-union employees at a business temporarily closed by a strike).

By law, unchanged by the bill, to be eligible for unemployment benefits a claimant generally must (1) file and claim and register as required by the Department of Labor;

(2) be able to work, available for work, and making reasonable efforts to obtain work;

and (3) have earned a certain amount of wages prior to their unemployment (CGS § 31-235).

EFFECTIVE DATE: