ICYMI: Rep. Schiff’s Bill to Grant Striking Workers Unemployment Insurance Applauded by Labor Unions & Organizations
Washington, D.C.— In case you missed it, this week, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), joined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), and over 35 colleagues, introduced the Empowering Striking Workers Act, legislation that has received broad support from over 20 unions and labor organizations.
Schiff’s legislation would ensure that workers exercising their legal right to collectively bargain are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits after 14 days of striking. This year, strikes have secured important advancements in pay, benefits and working conditions. Many individuals, particularly hourly workers and low-income people, do not have the same capacity to participate in strikes due to financial constraints. This lack of income can deprive workers from utilizing one of the most effective negotiating tactics, exacerbating income inequality.
See what labor unions & organizations are saying about Schiff’s bill:
American Federation of Teachers
“No worker wants to go on strike. However, with the stark gap between the wealthy and working folks growing, as exemplified by CEO pay skyrocketing and 1 in 4 American families not being able to cover a $400 emergency, workers are fighting back. That is why many workers want to belong to unions. But sometimes it takes a strike to secure economic fairness. This legislation provides striking workers with access to the very unemployment benefits they have contributed to with every paycheck. It is essential that we support those who are on the picket line fighting for better compensation for all workers as they also fight to provide for their families as well,” said Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers.
Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
“Workers are the backbone of America. Unions are the only way workers can be treated fairly against big business greed. But once forced to strike, how do we Americans support them to get a fair deal if we don’t help them continue to put food on the table while in strike negotiations? As Douglass said, ‘Power concedes nothing without demand. It never has and it never will.’ Let’s help even the playing field by supporting this bill on behalf of workers when fighting for fairness against employers,” said Fran Drescher, President, SAG-AFTRA.
International Union of Operating Engineers
“Every working American pays into the unemployment insurance system, and they should be able to access it during a strike. The problem with current law is that it assumes workers choose to go out on strike. Let’s be clear. Workers don’t want to withhold their labor; employers force workers into exercising their right to strike. Denying workers the unemployment insurance they have earned turns the logic of the whole program on its head. It also puts a government thumb on the scale in favor of employers. If the right to strike is, in fact, a basic, fundamental right, we should not deny workers a benefit they’ve earned to starve them into submission. The International Union of Operating Engineers is pleased to support Congressman Schiff’s legislation to address this glaring inequity. We appreciate his leadership on this straight forward policy to help level the playing field for hardworking Americans,” said James T. Callahan, General President, International Union of Operating Engineers.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees:
“IATSE proudly stands behind Rep. Schiff's Empowering Striking Workers Act, advocating for future workers who may find themselves in the challenging position of going on strike. Workers exercising their rights in order to achieve a fair contract shouldn't be forced into debt. Workers shouldn’t have to jeopardize their hard-earned retirement security in order to pay their bills. This safety net is something we can and should offer to support those who make the difficult choice to strike,” said Matthew D. Loeb, International President, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
International Association Of Machinists And Aerospace Workers:
“As a society, we need to be supporting workers who go on strike or get locked out, because they support the communities where we all live and work,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr.Martinez. “The IAM thanks Congressman Schiff for taking this initiative and strongly encourages Congress to pass this bill.”
National Employment Law Project
“A worker who goes out on strike, or is laid off because of a strike, faces the same uncertain economic future as other jobless workers. Without a steady paycheck, workers miss rent payments, lose their healthcare, and cannot afford necessities like groceries and childcare. Today’s bill requiring all states to join New York and New Jersey in allowing striking workers, and other workers impacted by the strike, to receive their earned unemployment benefits ensures workers will not be forced into poverty and desperation when exercising their protected rights to organize, a crucial part of building a good jobs economy,” said Rebecca Dixon, President and CEO of the National Employment Law Project.
Communications Workers of America:
“The Empowering Striking Workers Act will offer working families in California and across the country equal access to unemployment insurance while engaging in their legal right to protest injustice in the workplace and improve their working conditions. This bill must be passed swiftly on behalf of every worker currently missing a paycheck,” said Frank Arce, CWA Vice President, District 9.
The Empowering Striking Workers Act is supported by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), National Employment Law Project (NELP), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), California Labor Federation, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC), Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Communications Workers of America - Association of Flight Attendants (CWA-AFA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), United Auto Workers (UAW), Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), National Nurses United (NNU), Communications Workers of America (CWA), International Brotherhood of Teamsters, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), United Steelworkers (USW), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA!), United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA), and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).
Click HERE to read the bill text.
###