Bill Backed By WGA & SAG-AFTRA To Give Unemployment Insurance To Striking Workers In California Clears Labor Committee; Now Heads To Full State Senate
deadline.comA bill that wouldmake striking workers in California eligible to receive unemployment benefits was approved on Wednesday by a 4-1 vote of the state Senate’sLabor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
Senate Bill 799, which has already been passed by the state Assembly, now goes to a vote of the full Senate. If approved there, it will be up to Governor Gavin Newsom to either sign it into law or veto it.
Last year, he vetoed 169 bills while signing nearly 1,000. The WGA has been on strike since May 2, and SAG-AFTRA since July 14, but the bill would extend unemployment benefit coverage to all striking workers in the state, not just writers and actors.
In 2019, a similar bill failed in the Senate by just two votes. Strikers in New York and New Jersey are entitled to collect unemployment benefits after two weeks on the picket line, but those in California currently aren’t eligible because they’re considered to have left their jobs “voluntarily.” During today’s committee hearing, the bill was supported by representatives of the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Actors’ Equity and numerous unions across the state who said that unemployment benefits are a much-needed “safety net” for workers during strikes.
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