An Act relative to unemployment compensation and labor disputes

This bill amends Massachusetts unemployment compensation laws to clarify when workers can receive benefits during labor disputes and lockouts. It allows employees to collect unemployment benefits if their job stoppage is caused by a labor dispute, provided they are not participating in or financing the dispute and do not belong to the specific group of workers responsible for the strike. The legislation also ensures that paying regular union dues does not count as participating in a dispute and grants benefits to workers who are ready and willing to work during a lockout unless the employer can prove the lockout was a necessary response to significant property damage or threats. Additionally, the bill clarifies that workers who find new employment during a dispute may still retain their benefit rights based on their previous wages, excluding earnings from the employer involved in the conflict.