North Dakota lawmakers have denied workers who have been locked out by American Crystal Sugar since August 1st unemployment benefits. About 1,300 workers have been locked out. A committee of the legislature killed the proposal, and one representative said that they need to focus on other issues, and that it felt like choosing sides. The unions have released a statement criticizing the decision, and said that they were penalizing workers for something that was not their fault. The workers rejected the most recent contract offer by 90%.
See "North Dakota lawmakers deny benefits to locked out workers at American Crystal Sugar", Jon Collins, The Minnesota Independent, November 7, 2011