(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) A group of Democrats in California is planning to introduce a bill that would secure unemployment benefits for striking screenwriters, Fox News reported.
Despite the fact that California’s unemployment program finds itself $18 billion in the hole, leftist in the California state government hope to shell out some additional funding to aid the writers, who are voluntarily not working.
The legislation will likely be introduced by the Senate Appropriations Chair Anthony Portantino.
It was co-authored by Democratic Assembly members Laura Friedman and Chris Holden.
Portantino tweeted his support for the forthcoming bill, claiming to be “[h]onored to be authoring this effort to help hardworking Californians during a time of unrest.”
Honored to be authoring this effort to help hardworking Californians during a time of unrest https://t.co/3odZsBcxaA @CaliforniaLabor @SenMariaEDurazo @DuffyEdjduffy @sagaftra @seiucalifornia @UNITEHERE11
— Anthony Portantino (@Portantino) August 19, 2023
According to California Chamber of Commerce Policy Advocate Rob Moutrie, an opponent of the legislation, such a move would help those who simply do not want to work milk the system that is meant to help those in genuine need.
“It would allow individuals on strike who are not looking for work and were not let go through no fault of their own to claim unemployment insurance as if they were truly unemployed,” Moutrie said, noting that calling screenwriters unemployed is an insult to unemployment.
“Striking people are not the same as people who truly have been let go and have no idea where their next paycheck will come from,” Moutrie added. “But someone on strike knows where their job is.”
Despite a strong Democratic majority, some Republicans in the state oppose the legislation.
“The last thing California needs is more ways of paying for people not to work,” U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley said.
Kiley also noted that California has the second-highest unemployment in the nation while falling dead last in total wage growth.
