Lawmakers are trying again to push for unemployment protections for striking California workers.
Last year, the state legislature passed SB 799, which would have allowed striking workers to claim unemployment insurance benefits. But Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill, saying, “Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt.”
Maybe now is the time?
A similar bill, SB 1116, was introduced by State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) and Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) in February. On Wednesday, it passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
“For me, it just seems like the right, just thing to say to those workers: we’re gonna give you a modicum of subsistence,” Portantino said. “Remember, unemployment insurance is not their full salary. It’s just something to tide them over so they can negotiate a fair wage and fair contracts for their members.”
California offers up to $450 per week in unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks.
The bill is sponsored by the California Labor Federation and various labor unions. Critics say providing unemployment benefits to people on strike could cost tens of millions of dollars, worsening the state’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
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