Many workers who go on strike could soon gain a new bit of leverage against their employers: unemployment benefits.

Lawmakers in several states are considering the novel approach of extending unemployment insurance to workers who hit the picket lines, saying it would help level the playing field with deep-pocketed companies that can starve their workforces in contract fights. Strikers do not qualify for such benefits in the vast majority of states.

That includes Washington, where progressive legislators are looking to change the law. Last week, the states House of Representatives passed a bill that would qualify strikers for unemployment benefits starting the second Sunday after a walkout begins, with payments capped at four weeks. The legislation is now up for debate in the state Senate.

State Rep. Beth Doglio, an Olympia Democrat and the lead sponsor for the House bill, called it a very small step in the right direction. She noted that roughly 400 Starbucks stores in the U.S. have unionized since 2021 but still dont have collective bargaining agreements with the Seattle-based coffee chain. Many have gone on strike to pressure the company at the bargaining table.

When you go into a strike, its a last resort, Doglio said in an interview. This just gives a little bit of assurance that they [workers] can continue to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads while their negotiators are at the table.

Business groups have come out in opposition to the proposal, arguing that it would raise insurance costs for employers and give workers unfair leverage in bargaining. Five of Washingtons House Democrats joined Republicans in voting against it. If the legislation makes it to the desk of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, it could spur more states to pursue similar policies.

At least seven other states have introduced similar bills in the past two years, according to Daniel Perez, an analyst whos been tracking the issue for the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, which supports the policy. These include California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Maryland bill was unveiled just last month.

It seems like a groundswell moment, Perez said.

Only two states currently extend unemployment benefits to strikers: New Jersey and New York. Last year, New Jersey reduced the waiting period for benefits from one month to two weeks; a bill introduced this year in New York would reduce it there from two weeks to one.

A bill similar to Washingtons passed both chambers of Californias Legislature last year, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it , saying that it would be too costly and burden the states unemployment insurance trust fund. The State Assemblys Appropriations Committee estimated the cost to be likely in the low millions to tens of millions of dollars.

The legislative efforts come at a time when strikes are seeing a modest resurgence in the U.S. economy. Last year there were more major work stoppages involving at least 1,000 workers than in any other year since 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . Well over a half-million workers overall went on strike in 2023, including actors, writers, nurses, baristas and autoworkers, among others.

But striking can be a daunting proposition.

Most unions have strike funds to help keep workers afloat while theyre off the job, but strike pay is often less than half of ones normal wages. Many workers end up tapping into their savings or picking up shifts at lesser-paying jobs to make ends meet. The financial insecurity can make it hard to dig in for an extended period and sometimes leads workers to accept subpar arrangements.