California Senate approves bill to give strikers access to unemployment insurance – deadline

A bill that would entitle strikers in California to receive up to $450 a week in unemployment benefits passed the state Senate on Thursday by a vote of 27-12. Senate Bill 799, which passed the state Assembly last month, now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can either sign it or veto it.

His signature, however, is not at all accurate. Last year, he vetoed 169 bills, signing nearly 1,000. In 2019, a similar bill failed in the Senate by just two votes.

Striking workers in New York and New Jersey are eligible for unemployment benefits after two weeks of picketing, but those in California are currently not eligible because they are considered “voluntary” leavers.

Senate Bill 799 would change that. He has won the support of numerous unions and labor organizations across the state, including the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Actors’ Equity, the California Federation of Labor, and the AFL-CIO. Supporters argue that if passed, it would provide a much-needed “safety net” for striking workers and their families.

WGA West President Meredith Stiem and SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher testified last month in Sacramento in favor of the bill. The WGA has been on strike since May 2 and SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14.

“The UI system was designed to provide temporary security for workers who are losing their jobs,” Alex Aguilar, business manager for Laborers Local 724 and a Coalition board member, said after the Senate vote. “If it does not apply to strikers, it makes the threats to employers even stronger and gives employers an advantage against the interests of workers, their families, their unions and communities. Today, the California Legislature took an important step to correct this imbalance.”

SB 799 was co-sponsored by Sen. Anthony Portantino, Sen. Maria Elena Duraza, and Rep. Chris Holden.

“SB 799 is the right bill for California workers,” Stiem said after it passed the Senate. “A strike can be long and uncertain, and this bill addresses the most basic need to make ends meet. We would like to thank Senator Portantino for his leadership on this bill and the California Legislature for doing the right thing.”

“Today, the Legislature responded to this rare moment in time when workers from a wide variety of business segments are striking for their future livelihoods,” Portantino said today. “From writers and actors to nurses and social workers, we’re seeing significant unrest and concern among the workforce across the state. Sacramento’s action sends a strong signal to striking women and men that we are aware of the impact that strikes have on a family’s ability to pay the rent and put food on the table. I am grateful to the labor advocates who have worked tirelessly on this effort, and I appreciate those who have been on the pickets this hot summer of work.”

“Today’s vote is a victory for writers, actors, hotel workers, auto workers, nurses and all the workers who have made a heavy sacrifice to go on strike for a better future,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the leader of the organization. California Federation of Labor. “Working people have earned these benefits, and they deserve access to them in difficult times. SB 799 can ensure that workers can survive a strike with dignity in the future.”

The California Chamber of Commerce, which opposed the bill, called it a “job killer” that puts state resources on the side of striking unions. It also said the bill would likely increase unemployment insurance taxes on employers, noting that the state’s unemployment insurance fund is already $18 billion in debt and that the bill would add about $2 billion to that debt. over the next 10 years.