Unemployment Insurance: The Washington Supreme Court and the Labor Dispute Disqualification

This comment discusses a disqualification common to all state statutes\u27 disqualifying from benefits workers unemployed because of a labor dispute, and focuses upon the Washington Supreme Court\u27s interpretation of the labor dispute disqualification in the Washington Unemployment Compensation Act. After discussing the court\u27s approach to the disqualification in the context of Washington case law, the comment examines various policy considerations underlying the labor dispute disqualification and contrasts the Washington court\u27s interpretation with the interpretation other state courts have accorded similar labor dispute disqualification statutes. Finally, the comment concludes that the Washington court\u27s singularly narrow interpretation of the labor dispute disqualification results from a basic misunderstanding of the disqualification\u27s function in unemployment insurance legislation