Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Striking Workers
Governor Gavin Newsom
For decades we have seen politicians reluctant to stand with workers or be seen as pro-union. Today, it’s a different story--the hottest place to be seen is on the picket line. Strikes have always been about justice, not popular opinion, but strikes are polling off the charts. The public overwhelmingly sides with the writers and the actors against the studios and sees unions as a force for good.
While strikes may demand significant sacrifices, workers should never have to endure hunger, homelessness, or bankruptcy due to temporary unemployment. Employers are well aware that their economic advantage peaks when striking workers deplete their savings. They hope that economic desperation will force workers to give in, returning to work without substantial gains. A studio executive, speaking anonymously to Deadline, openly admitted to this strategy, stating, "Allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses." California, however, does not need to empower bosses to pursue such a cruel agenda.
Right now, California prohibits striking workers from accessing unemployment insurance benefits that they’ve rightfully earned. It's high time we change this draconian loophole. Other states, such as New Jersey and New York, have already taken this crucial step.
The California Legislature has the opportunity to support Senate Bill 799 right now to provide striking workers with unemployment insurance benefits, but corporations across every industry are working to block this important bill from moving forward.
Sign this petition to send a message to Governor Newsom urging them to pass and sign this legislation. Post on social media why YOU support striking workers receiving unemployment benefits with the hashtags #WeEarnedIt and #SB799.
Let’s fight for our fair share and demand our elected representatives stand working people, rather than siding with the bosses.
Sponsored by
To:
Governor Gavin Newsom
From:
[Your Name]
I urge you to support the passage of SB 799, which will make workers who are on strike eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits (UI) to help them make ends meet and protect them from going into debt or losing their homes.
Workers are going on strike in record numbers, despite the hardship, to fight for better wages, working conditions, and job security. Writers Guild of America members have been on strike since May 2nd. In July, members of SAG-AFTRA joined the writers, shutting down production across the country. These two strikes demonstrate workers’ commitment to fighting against company practices that increase worker precarity and threaten the sustainability of the overall industry.
The decision to go on strike is not one that union members take lightly. Striking workers lose all income for the duration of their job action. Workers deplete their savings as bills pile up, rent and mortgages go unpaid, and debt accumulates. Corporations rely on the expectation that striking workers will have few resources, and their strategy is often to starve workers until they give up their demands for better wages, fair compensation, and job security. Denying UI to striking workers is another way employers hold an unfair advantage over workers fighting for what’s right. CEOs play the waiting game, knowing workers living on the margins have rent to pay and groceries to buy. SB 799 gives workers a chance to fight for what’s fair.
California’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system system provides a safety net of temporary assistance for workers who lose their jobs, there’s no reason workers on strike should be denied this critical lifeline. UI benefits help workers pay their bills, take care of their families, avoid debt, and prevent eviction while they are unemployed. New York and New Jersey already allow striking workers to be eligible for UI after 14 days. California is a pro-union, pro-worker state— passing SB 799 is a common sense policy that’s proven to work.
When workers on strike can make their rent payments on time, when they can afford to buy groceries for their families, that not only provides a lifeline to their families, it benefits small businesses and entire communities. Extending UI benefits to striking workers is essential to help California’s economy in the midst of a strikewave. These benefits will go directly into the local economy, preserving jobs and generating revenue. They will prevent evictions and foreclosures that can result in homeless and housing instability. They will prevent reliance on food pantries and city services that are already stretched thin. This policy is good for business, good for our economy, and good for California.
No one should be unable to feed their families or lose their homes because they’re exercising their fundamental right to strike. Standing with working people and pass SB 799.