California's State Senate Passed SB 799 Which If Signed Could Provide Unemployment For Striking Workers, Here's Why It's Important

TV & Film

Sep 16

The fight for better working conditions might have just gotten reinforcements, not in the form of new striking members, but in the form of a cash bailout. The WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA, (Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) might be gaining unemployment benefits while on strike in California. A 27-12 vote made the statement official. If Gavin Newsom, the current governor of California approves the bill, the payments will be beginning on January 1st, giving the striking workers a real reason to celebrate the new year. If Newsom approves the bill, it would mean California would become the third state to do this, following New Jersey and New York.

As you would expect, several unions and worker’s groups have stood by the striking workers, showing their support. As you would also expect, business interests, such as the California Chamber of Commerce have expressed opposition to the workers fighting for their rights. Senator Anthony Portantino, who authorized the bill, spoke out. “Let’s inject a modicum of stability into the conversation. When somebody goes on strike, it’s not a romantic thing… It’s hard to go through it.”

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Opposing Senator, Brian Dahle, spoke out against his opponent. “This is the most crazy thing I have ever seen. This is a labor dispute, not an unemployment dispute… This is a horrible bill. This is a bad idea.” Other senators against the bill stated that unemployment is for those who lose their jobs, not those holding out for better conditions.

It is currently not known if Governor Newsom will approve of the bill, as he has not given any real indication in either direction. The closest he’s come to picking a side was when he said in a recent interview “One has to be cautious about that before you enter into a conversation about expanding its utilization,” as he talked about supporting a bill that would expand an already expensive unemployment program.

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