Go On Strike - Maybe Collect Unemployment

Unemployment was created for those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. However, some are able to collect unemployment for a job they willingly walked off from. You cannot collect unemployment while on strike, at least not legally, but if your employer hires a permanent replacement for you, you can. That has happened with Northwest Airlines.

Generally speaking, I agree with the thrust of this editorial. I believe that a strike should not be risk free and should not be undertaken lightly, but I am uneasy with both sides on this disagreement. (Usually when management and labor clash I say "a pox on both thine houses." as it usually, though not always, happens because of greed on both sides.) The striking employees knew the airline was in danger of going down and chose to strike anyway, and such stupidity should never be rewarded. However a blanket rejection of this unemployment would need a lot more serious discussion.

The article does make one minor error. It says that "workers can only collect unemployment insurance if they lost their job by no fault of their own and are actively seeking other employment." It is also used for Temporary (ie short term) layoffs and such workers are not required to seek work.