WGA West President Meredith Stiehm and SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher have been in Sacramento final week lobbying California legislators for passage of Senate Bill 799, which might make hanging staff eligible to gather unemployment advantages. The invoice handed by means of the Assembly Insurance Committee on Thursday and the Legislature has till September 14 to ship the invoice to the Governor’s desk.
Striking staff in New York and New Jersey are eligible to gather unemployment advantages, however strikers in California aren’t. Addressing the California State Assembly Insurance Committee in Sacramento, Stiehm and Fisher, who’re each up for re-election later this month, referred to as unemployment insurance coverage a much-needed security internet for hanging staff. The WGA has been on strike since May 2, and SAG-AFTRA since July 14.
“Writers have needed to depend on strike loans from our union, donations, philanthropy, and second and third jobs to pay for his or her fundamental wants since May 2,” Stiehm instructed the committee. “Four months with out work is emotionally brutal and financially disastrous. I’m proud to report that our members have held robust and stored their resolve all through this lengthy sizzling labor summer season, however they’re struggling.”
“It’s time for California to catch up and meet the calls for of the time,” Stiehm added. “Writers are the present-day instance of staff who may drastically profit from UI, however we’re actually right here for the employees sooner or later who will want this safety in the event that they make the tough choice to go on strike.”
See Stiehm’s testimony right here:
Fisher, in her remarks earlier than the committee, mentioned that “Denying UI to hanging staff is one other method employers maintain an unfair benefit over staff combating for what’s proper. CEOs play the ready recreation, realizing staff residing on the margins have hire to pay and groceries to purchase. SB 799 provides staff an opportunity to struggle for what’s truthful. We are within the struggle of our lives — for our jobs, our trade, our future. We can’t wait any longer for UI advantages that may assist us survive and can assist all staff who stand as much as struggle for a greater future.”
RELATED: SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements: Full List Of Movies And TV Series
Authored by Assemblyman Chris Holden and state senators Anthony Portantino and Maria Elena Durazo, Senate Bill 799 has the backing of greater than 40 unions in addition to the California Labor Federation.
Last yr, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2530, which offered backed well being protection to hanging staff whose employers terminated well being advantages. Portantino mentioned that “That invoice has already offered an important lifeline to staff on strike however doesn’t assist with the lack of revenue. SB 799 will present one other lifeline by permitting hanging or locked out staff to be eligible for a lot wanted UI advantages at some stage in the dispute.”
RELATED: SAG-AFTRA Tells Members It’s OK To Promote Their Movies With Interim Agreements At Film Festivals
Here are Fisher’s full remarks to the committee:
Dear Committee Members:
My title is Joely Fisher. I’m a working actor and function the Secretary-Treasury for SAG-AFTRA. I’m right here at this time to discuss the SB 799, a invoice that would offer unemployment insurance coverage advantages to hanging staff who’re off the job and on the picket strains for greater than two weeks. This very important piece of laws will make an actual influence for our members and for thousands and thousands of staff throughout California.
A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA is an American labor union representing members working collectively to make sure protections for leisure and media artists into the twenty first century and past.
We signify roughly 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, influencers and different leisure and media professionals worldwide, nearly half of whom dwell and work in California.
As I converse to you all proper now, our members are marching on picket strains throughout the nation as we strategy our 50th day of hanging in opposition to our employers who refuse to supply us a good deal on our tv, theatrical and streaming work.
For most actors proper now, contracts are a one-way avenue. Studios, networks and streaming platforms maintain all the facility, name all of the pictures, and most actors, me included, are nonetheless unable to barter wise contracts that permit us to earn sufficient cash to qualify for well being protection, not to mention maintain California’s constantly rising price of residing.
But when an employer refuses to pretty compensate somebody for his or her work, that employee ought to have the liberty to barter a good deal with out the pressures of worrying whether or not they can afford to feed their households, or take their sick little one to the physician. Right now we now have 1000’s of members who’re forgoing a paycheck and probably their medical health insurance. This is along with the 1000’s of members of the WGA who’ve been on strike for over 100 days.
As a working actor, I perceive basically and personally the stresses that come up when one is out of labor. The stress of being out of labor in the course of the strike has instantly impacted my family together with my 5 youngsters. I worry that I can’t earn sufficient to qualify them for well being protection. As mother and father, our jobs are to defend our youngsters from the cruel realities of the true world, but I fear that my youngsters will start to really feel the opposed results as my husband and I wrestle to help our household on a single revenue.
Despite the hardship, I’m on strike as a result of we’re combating to barter a good and wise contract that permits us to earn sufficient cash to qualify for well being protection, preserve a roof over our heads, and sustain with California’s price of residing. I’m on strike to struggle in opposition to synthetic intelligence within the office and different firm practices that enhance employee precarity and threaten the sustainability of jobs within the total trade.
The analysis has demonstrated this time and time once more: when union members win robust contracts, they elevate up wages and labor requirements for staff throughout the complete trade.
Unemployment insurance coverage advantages for strikers can have a minimal influence on the UI fund, however it’ll make an enormous distinction to our members and communities. Actors will find the money for to purchase groceries and faculty provides, pay payments and hire, and even carry donuts or espresso to the picket line. They’ll spend that cash on the companies which might be struggling in our areas—the eating places, grocery shops, nail salons, hairdressers, drugstores and so many extra that depend on the leisure trade to remain afloat.
Denying UI to hanging staff is one other method employers maintain an unfair benefit over staff combating for what’s proper. CEOs play the ready recreation, realizing staff residing on the margins have hire to pay and groceries to purchase. SB 799 provides staff an opportunity to struggle for what’s truthful.
We are within the struggle of our lives—for our jobs, our trade, our future. We can’t wait any longer for UI advantages that may assist us survive and can assist all staff who stand as much as struggle for a greater future.
I urge your help for SB 799.
Thank you.
: .