By an overwhelming margin, the California Assembly on Monday passed a bill granting unemployment benefits to striking workers. SB 799, which passed the California Senate in May, was approved in the assembly by a vote of 53-14.
The bill now returns to the Senate for final approval before being signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsome.
The news comes on day 132 of the Hollywood strike, which began May 2 when talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended without a new deal. WGA was joined on July 13 by SAG-AFTRA, marking the entertainment industry’s first double strike since 1960.
Both guilds have been strong supporters of the bill, noting among other things that those benefits are already available for workers who have been on strike more than 2 weeks in New York and New Jersey, including members of WGA East. The guilds have also pointed to a much talked-about July 12 Deadline article in which an unnamed studio executive said AMPTP’s plan was to extend break WGA by letting the strike continue “until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
“It’s time for California to catch up and meet the demands of the times. Writers are the present day example of members who can greatly benefit from UI, but we’re here for the workers of the future if they make the difficult decision to strike,” Stiehm said in a speech to assemblymembers in Sacramento earlier this month.
That pain has started happening for many, as business in Hollywood has largely halted thanks to the strike. Below-the-line workers, repped by IATSE, have also been hit hard thanks to production shut-downs, and that guild has taken multiple measures locally and nationally to help members.
Meanwhile, talks between the striking guilds and AMPTP remain stalled despite some signs of hope last month, when WGA formally agreed to resume talks with the studios. AMPTP refused to budge after a single counter-offer presented to WGA negotiators on Aug. 13, and things worsened on Aug. 22 when guild leaders met with several studio CEOs, after which AMPTP made that counter-offer public in an attempt to bypass WGA leaders and appeal directly to members.
That attempt was not successful. WGA members instead criticized AMPTP harshly and so did Guild leaders who in their own official statement called out AMPTP leaders’ behavior during the meeting. They also said the offer fell short on several key issues including AI, streaming compensation and job security.
SB799 was introduced in May by LA-based State Sens. Anthony Portantino and Maria Elena Durazo alongside Pasadena Assemblymember Chris Holden.
“It is critical that the workers have a seat at the table to negotiate their future and the well-being of their families. SB 799 will help them put food on their table when they need it most – in the middle of those important labor negotiations,” Portantino said in a statement Aug. 31.
For more of TheWrap’s Hollywood strike coverage, click here.
