Senate Statement on Lockout Legislation

“In the absence of an agreement between the two parties, the Senate will be taking up a bill on Thursday, December 20 that will extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for locked out National Grid workers for 26 weeks, or until the end of the lockout.  We have considered a range of policy options, and believe the bill we put forward is practical, feasible, and able to be implemented quickly, so that these families incur no break in unemployment benefits.  It is our hope that this action will provide some relief and peace of mind for those workers who want nothing more than to get back to work.  We strongly encourage both parties to continue their negotiations and resolve this issue.” - Senate President Karen E. Spilka