California governor rejects bill to give unemployment checks to striking workers - WTOP News

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

60% : Labor unions had argued the amount of workers on strike for more than two weeks is so small it would not have had a significant impact on the state's unemployment trust fund.
54% : SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California won't be giving unemployment checks to workers on strike, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoing a bill Saturday that had been inspired by high-profile work stoppages in Hollywood and the hotel industry.
53% : The bill would have let workers who were on strike for at least two weeks receive unemployment checks from the state, which can be as much as $450 per week.
52% : "That money is going to corner stores, to restaurants, to caterers, to nail salons, to the small businesses that are also struggling along with workers who are on strike," Sarah Flocks, legislative and strategic campaign director for the California Labor Federation, told lawmakers during a public hearing earlier this month.
51% : Newsom, a Democrat, says he supports workers and often benefits from campaign contributions from labor unions.
44% : Lawmakers could attempt to pass the law anyway, but it's been decades since a governor's veto was overruled in California.
41% : Plus, labor unions said unemployment benefits are good for the economy, allowing workers on strike to still spend money and support local businesses.
36% : But that tax only applies to the first $7,000 of workers' wages, a figure that has not changed since 1984 and is the lowest amount allowed under federal law.

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