Sponsors (48)
The bill protects striking and locked‑out workers by preserving employer‑provided group health coverage and strengthening enforcement, but does so at the cost of greater employer financial exposure, behavioral shifts in hiring/benefits, and increased litigation and administrative uncertainty.
Union members and workers on lawful strike or locked out keep employer‑provided group health coverage (preventing termination or coverage gaps during labor disputes).
Low‑income and union workers avoid unexpected medical expenses and coverage interruptions during disputes, protecting household finances and reducing medical‑debt risk.
Civil penalties and authority to hold corporate leaders accountable strengthen enforcement and deter employer retaliation, encouraging compliance with NLRA protections for collective action.
Small and other employers face higher costs from maintaining benefits through strikes/lockouts and from potential civil penalties, which could prompt price increases, reduced hiring, or layoffs.
Employers may change labor practices—shifting to contractors, trimming future benefits, or making preemptive concessions—to limit exposure, risking worse job quality and more gig/freelance arrangements.
Risk of personal liability for directors and officers could make corporate leadership more risk‑averse about strikes, influencing business decisions and potentially chilling normal labor negotiations.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits ending or altering employer group health coverage during lockouts or lawful strikes and creates civil fines (up to $75k/$150k and $50k/$100k) plus officer liability in some cases.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Chris Deluzio · Last progress May 21, 2025
Prohibits employers from ending or changing employees’ group health plan coverage while employees are locked out or engaged in a lawful strike, and adopts the ERISA definition of “group health plan.” Establishes new civil fines for employers who violate these protections—up to $75,000 (or $150,000 in aggravated cases) for one category of violations and up to $50,000 (or $100,000) for another—and allows penalties to be assessed against directors or officers who directed or failed to prevent the violations. The National Labor Relations Board must consider gravity, employer size, prior history, and the public interest when setting penalties; these fines are in addition to other remedies the Board may impose.