Unemployment insurance crucial to strikes

By Fabrizio Sasso
Executive Director, Sacramento CLC

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed striking workers access to unemployment benefits.

The California Labor Federation and union members across the state aren’t taking that no for an answer. The Legislation has been introduced again this year and we are going to make sure it once again lands on Newsom’s desk—where we will fight to make sure it is signed.

After the union momentum of last year and “hot Labor summer,” there is no doubt that unions are a force for justice and advancing workers’ rights at a time when corporations’ power seems nearly unchecked.

Unions are not just a last line of defense against that corporate power, but it is also our way to go on the offensive when it comes to fighting for fair wages and working conditions. We are on the front lines of ensuring that the American economy is not one that’s made up of just winners and losers, of rich and poor, but one that seeks to raise up all working families by respecting the work itself.

And there is no weapon in our possession more powerful than the ability to strike. When all else fails, it is our ability to shut down the work that shows the ultimate power of our members—and the ultimate power of solidarity.

But strikes are a hardship, one that comes with sacrifice. Some members are better able to sustain themselves through a long strike than others. We all need income, and there is only so long any of us can survive without a paycheck.

Unions and Labor Councils often—but not always—have strike funds that seek to fill in the gap. Last year, this council helped striking Sheetmetal Workers when they took to the picket lines against a Rocklin employer. We were also there when the Teamsters went on strike, only recently forging an agreement with that employer.

Strike funds are there to help workers make ends meet if a strike—always a last resort—is necessary. But still, that aid sometimes isn’t enough. Bills pile up, mortgages and rent are late.

Fear sets in. Solidarity weakens.

Employers count on economic vulnerability, too often creating their strike strategies around waiting it out until we break under the economic strain. They want workers to starve themselves into submission.

That is why this bill, SB 1116, is so critical. It ensures workers who are unemployed due to a strike are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits—a right workers in states including New York and New Jersey already have.

California should not be behind the curve on workers’ rights.

And as we honor Workers’ Memorial Day this month, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that every bit of safety on the job comes from workers demanding it. To those who have lost a family member to a workplace death, my heartfelt condolences. It is through union power that we can honor those lost by fighting to ensure that a paycheck doesn’t come with unnecessary risk.

If workers are able to access unemployment benefits, the economic stress of a strike is greatly reduced. With the economic security of knowing those benefits are in place, workers will be better able to plan for a long strike if it is necessary, and better hold onto our solidarity.

That levels the playing fields and gives workers more power—to fight for safety, wages and better lives. In the end, it might even reduce the need to strike because employers will know that time alone will not break us.

In coming months, unions including IATSE will be facing contract negotiations. We will all stand with them in solidarity.

But passing this bill, and ensuring the governor signs it, must be a priority for every union member who cares about the future of work in our country.