FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director, patrick.connor@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

OLYMPIA, Wash., Jan. 29, 2024—The only people who pay into Washington’s unemployment trust fund to keep benefits available to those who lose their job through no fault of their own are almost unanimously opposed to extending those benefits to workers who have a job but choose to walk out of it to go on strike, according to a poll result released today by the state’s largest and leading small-business association.

When asked if striking workers should be eligible to claim unemployment insurance benefits, 90% of NFIB-member, small business owners voted ‘No,’ 6% were undecided, and 4% voted in favor.

Every year, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) polls its membership, made up entirely of small business owners, on state and federal issues vital to their survival. Results center NFIB’s lobbying positions in Olympia and in Washington, D.C.

“Extending unemployment benefits to striking workers is such a bad idea, even as pro-union a governor as California’s Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal in his state for the threat it presented to the solvency of his state’s unemployment insurance trust fund,” said Patrick Connor, NFIB’s Washington state director. “Any imbalance in our state’s UI trust funds means increased taxes on business owners. Washington lawmakers would be wise to follow Newsom’s lead and put the health of our UI trust fund first by turning down SB 5777.”

The ballot for this year asked four questions. The other three were:

Should Washington levy a payroll tax as a new revenue stream to help fund childcare services?

Yes 2%
No 96%
Und. 2%

Should Washington increase its estate tax exemption?

Yes 76%
No 18%
Und. 6%

Should Washington change the way it calculates its tax on motorists, basing the tax on miles driven instead of fuel?

Yes 16%
No 68%
Und. 16%

Keep up with the latest Washington state small-business news at www.nfib.com/washington or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_WA or on Facebook @NFIB.WA

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For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Washington
111 – 21st Avenue Southwest
Olympia, WA 98501
360-786-8675
NFIB.com/WA
Twitter: @NFIB_WA