/ Source: The Associated Press
The state Senate is taking up a bill to allow locked-out workers to collect unemployment.
The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on House Bill 1170 on Monday. It's already been approved by the House.
Colorado allowed workers to collect unemployment during lockouts until 1999. Then the law was changed to say no benefits would be paid if a lockout was "defensive" to prevent vandalism or other problems.
Labor officials say it's easy for companies to claim a defensive lockout and difficult for unions to disprove them.
The bill is being pushed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents workers at most major grocery store chains in the state.
