The Oregon Employment Department and WorkSource Oregon centers will be closed Thursday, Jan. 1, for New Year's Day. Phones will reopen at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 2. 

Unemployment Insurance benefits for striking workers

Senate Bill 916 (2025) authorizes limited Unemployment Insurance benefits for striking workers in Oregon beginning Jan. 4, 2026.  

If you are out of work because of a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute on or after Jan. 4, 2026, you may be eligible for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program.  

When you are involved in a strike or lockout, you can file an initial application for benefits or restart your existing claim. When answering questions about why you are out of work:  

  • Answer that you are still working for the employer involved in the strike.  
  • Under reason for separation, choose “strike or lockout.”   

We may need to gather additional information before we can make a decision about whether you are eligible. Learn more on our Administrative Decisions and Adjudication page. 

On this page:

Participating in a strike 

“Strike” means a group of employees working together to refuse to perform services for an employer in accordance with state or federal law. 

If you participate in a strike or are a member of a group that goes on strike, you may be eligible for benefits. When you apply for benefits or restart your claim, we will ask questions about: 

  • When the strike started 
  • Your union’s name and number 
  • If and when your contract ended 

As a striking worker, you are limited to eight or 10 weeks of benefits, depending on which tax schedule is in effect on the date the strike begins. Oregon is in tax schedule III for 2026, which means you can receive up to 10 weeks.   

Weekly requirements for striking workers 

To be eligible for benefits, federal law requires striking workers to be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.  

For each week of benefits you claim, you will be asked to certify that you met these requirements. 

To be considered actively seeking work, OED requires striking workers to complete at least one work-seeking activity each week. 

According to OAR 471-030-0036, work-seeking activities include but are not limited to: 

  • Registering for job placement services with OED. 
  • Attending job placement meetings sponsored by OED. 
  • Participating in a job club or networking group dedicated to job placement. 
  • Updating a resume. 
  • Reviewing the newspaper or job placement web sites without responding to a posted job opening. 
  • Making direct contact with an employer. 

You will be asked if you actively looked for work each week.  Please keep a record of your work-seeking activities.  

As part of ongoing discussions with the Department of Labor, the requirements for actively seeking work may change. We will update this webpage with the most up to date information about any changes. 

Learn more about eligibility requirements on How to File a Weekly Claim. 

Lockouts 

“Lockout” means an employer has refused to allow an employee to work because of a dispute with employees affecting wages, hours, or other terms or conditions of their employment. 

If you are not working because of an employer lockout, you are likely eligible for benefits.  

You still must meet all other eligibility requirements. Learn more about what you need to do every week on How to File a Weekly Claim. 

Affected workers who are not part of a strike  

If you have lost your job or had your hours reduced because of a strike that you are not participating in, you are likely eligible for benefits. If you are in this situation, you are not considered a striking worker. When answering questions about why you are out of work, answer that you were “laid off due to lack of work.”  

You still must meet all other eligibility requirements. Learn more what you need to do every week on How to File a Weekly Claim. 

Unpaid strike week

All striking workers must serve an unpaid strike week before getting benefits. This comes before the waiting week required for all claimants and must be served separately. Like the waiting week, you must meet all eligibility requirements for that week, and you will not be paid any money for that week. During your 52-week benefit year, you will only serve one waiting week, but you will serve one unpaid strike week for each strike.  

You will not serve an unpaid strike week if: 

  • You are out of work because of a lockout. 
  • You lose hours or your job because of a strike that you are not participating in.  

Example timeline 

The following example demonstrates the timeline a striking worker can expect when filing an initial claim for benefits. 

Unemployment Insurance is a weekly program, with each week beginning on a Sunday and ending on Saturday.  

If you are on strike as of Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, and the strike continues, you can: 

  • Submit an initial application for benefits OR restart your existing claim.
  • Beginning Sunday, Jan. 11, file a weekly claim for the week of Jan. 4-10.
    • If you meet all requirements, this will be your unpaid strike week and you will not receive benefits.
  • Beginning Sunday, Jan. 18, file a weekly claim for the week of Jan. 11-17.
    • If you filed a new application for benefits, this will be your waiting week and you will not receive benefits. 
    • If you restarted an existing claim and have already served a waiting week, this will be the first week you could receive benefits. 
  • Beginning Sunday, Jan. 25, file a weekly claim for the week of Jan. 18-24.
    • If you filed a new application for benefits, this will be the first week you could receive benefits. 
  • Striking workers are limited to 10 weeks of benefits. 

Back pay for striking workers  

If you receive back pay from an employer for a strike, you must repay the benefits you received. State law requires us to recover overpayments caused by an employer providing back pay for a strike.